Alpha Bravo Zulu
by blackgem88
Summary: “I heard Mike and Jessica coming closer. So, I took an even bigger chance. I leaned up on my tiptoes and whispered, ‘Kiss me.’” After Mike left her at the altar, Bella's life hasn’t gone as planned, until she meets an Army Ranger named Emmett. AU EmxB ooc
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer. This story was inspired by both The Virgin's proposal and the Marine and Me but I am putting my own twist on it. I hope you enjoy it.**

**AN: I want to dedicate this chapter to SavageWoman for giving me the push to actually write this story and share it with you. Thanks girlie! She is also my unofficial official beta. By the way, if you are in need of another awesome story read check out her story, Sleeping with a Monster. It's a masterpiece! **

**So buckle up! It's my first fic so it just might be a bumpy ride.  
**

Bella POV

Three long hours. That is how long I had been sitting here in this small cramped room in the chapel waiting for Mike to show up. Anger and embarrassment coursed through my veins. The nerve of him to leave me here to face 200 people and tell them there would be no wedding. How could I have been so stupid? I knew he had issues with fidelity and commitment and yet I naively believed I could change him; that he loved me enough to change. Guess that shows me.

"I'm going to hunt him down and kill him. Just wait 'til I get my hands on him, he's gonna wish he was never born. I'll show him what happens when a guy messes with my little sister," Edward barged into my refuge in a rage-filled haze. His untidy bronze hair was all over the place, probably from him running his hand through it to calm himself. His green eyes burned with fury. He was standing stock straight; his six-foot frame radiated anger, as if he could kill a man with just one look. He was completely livid at Mike, he never liked him, always thought I could do better but I guess he was wrong, because apparently not even he wanted me. I finally stood up and placed my hands on Edward's shoulders to calm him down. Rose would not be happy if he did something stupid, and Rose was not someone to mess with.

"Edward, calm down. I'm okay, really. I should have known it would happen. Just like I knew he was cheating on me with the cheerleaders in high school. Now, come on, take me home so you can get back to your wife." My words sounded weak, even to myself. I managed to say it with a straight face though. I did not once cry. That would have pushed my brother over the edge. He never could handle seeing me in tears. I tried to place a smile on my face but my facial muscles refused to budge, so much for presenting a strong façade. Edward saw right through me.

"It's ok you know, Bells. You don't have to act strong, it's ok to let it out, it's ok to cry, hell it's even ok to punch something. Just don't close yourself out. Everything will work out for the better." He gave me that reassuring crooked smile of his. The one that made all my problems go away when I was a kid. He ran his fingers through his already messy hair and wrapped his arms around me; reassuring me, I was not alone. I pulled away from him and looked into his green eyes. Those expressive green eyes that were currently reflecting my own pain and anguish along with his own reassuring twinkle.

"I'm fine Edward I just need time alone. I'll be fine, I can handle this," he gave me that look – that look that seems to penetrate and search my mind for any trace of deception. That look that always made me feel like he was trying to read my mind. I stared straight into his green eyes and said, "Really, Edward I'm fine, just take me home now. I can't stand to be here any longer. I need to be at home and work this out in my head ok." I flashed him the cheeriest smile I could muster and hoped he would let it drop and just take me home so I could wallow and drown my sorrows in some Ben and Jerry's. He eyed at me with a skeptical look but then nodded his head just slightly. I had won.

He finally relented and took me home. I walked in, locked the door, curled up into a ball, and sobbed. I cried like I had never cried before. My body shook with sobs and my world felt like it was crumbling around me. I let it all out, I cried, I vented, I tried to wrap my head around it but it just did not make sense. So, I cried some more until darkness overtook me and I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of a doorbell ringing. My neck was sore from the awkward position I had fallen asleep in and my entire body ached. It had been a restless night. I pulled myself up off the couch and turned towards the door. I raised my hands over my head in a feeble attempt to stretch and rid my body of the kinks it had acquired in the last twelve hours and opened the door. The sight of a UPS lady standing in my doorway threw me off. I couldn't for the life of me remember ordering anything and my father had stopped receiving mail here for three years now.

"I have a package for a Miss Isabella Swan," the petite, tan woman stated. She was maybe five feet four, give or take an inch. She had warm honey colored hair and hazel eyes. She seemed happy and put together in her brown regulation UPS uniform. I, on the other hand, looked a mess. My dark brown hair was all over the place, my brown eyes were bloodshot from all the crying I had been doing, and I'm sure my face was streaked from water-proof makeup that wasn't really water-proof. My baggy sweats and shirt hung off my body, drowning me. My appearance had definitely taken a dive.

"I am Isabella," I said as she handed me the brown pad to sign. She handed me a thin envelope with the UPS logo on the front. I wondered what it was.

"Have a nice day ma'am," she said as she walked away and I shut my door again, effectively shutting out the world around me. I tore open the envelope and I found a letter addressed to me in Mike's untidy scrawl. I thought it a miracle I could even read his handwriting. I was torn between reading it and just burning it. I was not sure I wanted to read what he had written. Why should I give him that courtesy when he had left me stranded at the altar to face all those people alone? If it hadn't been for Rose and Alice holding my hands while simultaneously restraining my peeved brother I don't think I could have gone out there and told them that Mike had left me without so much as a thought. I unfolded the paper and began to read, completely unprepared for the contents.

_Dear Bella,_

_I'm sorry I could not make it to our wedding. But, I have to be honest with you. I really did mean to settle down with you, you are good for me. You kept me grounded. And while you are the perfect woman to take home to mom and marry, I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't love you Isabella and I am not sure I ever did. You were good for me, you kept me out of trouble, you helped me get through school, but you were never my type of girl. You are conventional, predictable, and frigid. Making me wait for that long was just cruel. A man has needs and you couldn't fulfill a single one so I'm sorry but I can't tie myself to that for the rest of my life._

_Jessica and I have decided to go to Aruba together. She is more my type of girl. She is neither predictable nor prudish. She makes me happy in ways you never could. We'll both be better off this way. I love Jessica, I always have. She is the perfect woman with the right attitude towards me and my needs. I want you to understand why I had to do what I did. I need you to understand that she was the better choice. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me._

_Mike_

So that was it. He ended our six-year relationship by running off with my bridesmaid and leaving me with a stupid letter proclaiming my flaws. The bastard! He was probably in Aruba with her right now. How could I have been so naïve? It should have struck me as odd that Jessica had called me the morning of the wedding proclaiming to be so sick she could not get up when she was completely fine the night before. Food poisoning, yeah right. Jessica was probably sitting on some lounger chair in Aruba on my honeymoon, in my honeymoon clothes, toasting to a future on my dime. Damn, I cursed the day I met Jessica Stanley in Junior Government. Who knew a study group would lead to this? I had befriended Jessica, I had consoled her when she moved back to town and had no one. When Tyler had dumped her, I had invited her along with Mike and me so that she would not be alone. Little did I know that I was the third wheel, not her. Pure hatred surged within me and I felt an increasingly potent desire to throttle both of them with my bare hands. The nerve! I'll show them.

**One Year Later**

I was standing in the middle of the one and only grocery store in Forks, Washington. It was times like these that I hated small town life. When a girl was craving Sarah Lee goodness in the middle of the week the shelves were very scarcely stocked. It looked like I would need to find another way to cure my need for something sweet. Just as I was about to reach for the popcorn I heard an eerily familiar voice. I could have sworn I had heard it before but I just could not put my finger on it. As I placed the box of Orville's in my basket, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was Jessica. What to do? What to do? Panic. Oh God, oh God what was I gonna do. I wanted to run, scream, and hide, anything but run into them. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. So much for my recent motto; Carpe Diem – my butt. I was still predictable, frigid Bella. No matter how much I told myself that I was going to take a walk on the wild side, I just had not had the chance to do it. I couldn't look at their faces; I knew what I would see. Pity would be displayed clear as day in their eyes.

Then, as if the gods were sending me a message, he stepped into my aisle, four precious aisles away from Jessica and Mike. He was certainly eye candy. In front of me stood the finest example of a male specimen I had ever seen. He was the most gorgeous man alive, I was sure of it. He was six foot five; at least, broad shoulders, and muscles galore! His bulging biceps were threatening to rip out of his shirt and what a shirt that was. It was snug but not too tight, enough to let me know that this man was definitely not afraid of a workout and definitely took care of his body. His short brown hair screamed military, as did his entire presence. He stood with an air of confidence I had never seen a man other than my dad and Edward wear. This man was definitely my chance. I felt drawn to him for some reason and I just had to meet him. I stalked over until I was right in front of where he had bent to examine a box of popcorn. I noticed his basket was full of all the heart attack inducing typical bachelor foods. I braced myself and tapped his shoulder. He straightened out and when he looked at me, his intensely bright blue eyes caught me by surprise. In the background, I heard Mike and Jessica coming closer. So, I took an even bigger chance. I released my basket and let it fall; I leaned up on my tiptoes and whispered to him.

"Kiss Me."

**There it is, my first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it enough to review. Until next time.**

**Lorena  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Enough said. lol**

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful husband. Happy Wedding Anniversary Baby! I'm glad I have you. Since I can't talk to you but you will read this, this is what I want you to know. I love you, I miss you so much, and I can't wait for you to come home. Be safe and always remember that you are in my thoughts daily. I'm right here waiting for you and I always will be. I love you.**

**A shout out also goes to SavageWoman for her awesome Beta skills and for helping me get this chapter out in time for my hubby and for all my readers.**

**Finally, To my readers. You guys totally rock my sox! lol I want to thanks everyone that reviewed and alerted my story. It means the world to me.**

**Here we go again.  
**

Emmett POV

I'm going home. Who would have thought it? It had been far too long. Now, the thought of spending thirty days in Forks, Washington was about as appealing as eating fruitcake. I really did wish I had more time to spend with them, but ever since Iraq and Afghanistan my regiment had been on constant deployment. Twelve months away , three months home, twelve months away, and three months home. It was an endless cycle but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I was a four-time volunteer; I volunteered for the Army, Airborne school, Ranger school, and service in the 75th Ranger Regiment. I had never looked back. But now, it was time to go home. They had been far too worried as of late.

The never changing "Welcome to Forks" sign loomed in front of me. Finally, I needed to see my family before I left again. It had been far too long; and yet, nothing had changed. The scenery was just as I remembered it, and the town looked the same way it did the day I left it behind 10 years ago. If it wasn't for the fact that my family loved to travel I might not see them as often I do; but they never seemed to mind coming out to see me. I drove my black H2 hummer towards the outskirts of town, straight to my parent's home. I wondered if that had changed since I last saw it.

There it was, just like I remembered it. Of course, mom had made some slight changes. Glass walls allowed for bitching views and the wrap around porch was perfect for morning workouts – roomy and sturdy. I could definitely lounge out there at night watching stars.

I got out and locked Betty up. She was my pride and joy. My Betty could ride over anything and come out unscathed. She was unstoppable. I walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell; it was gonna be an interesting thirty days

My mother, Esme, greeted me at the door. It had been too long. She looked slightly different but still the same. I towered over her five feet three inch tall frame. She had pulled up her long black hair, and for the first time, I noticed some gray that had not been there the last time I saw her. She still had those crinkles around her eyes I loved so much. It showed me she still laughed just as much as she used to. A huge smile overtook her as I gathered her into a signature Emmett bear hug. It was what I was known for. She laughed a booming laugh, a sound I had gone too long without hearing and I put her down.

"Emmett, dear, I am so glad you're home. Come on in. I have missed you so much. Tell me, how are you?" She looked me over, making sure I didn't have any battle wounds. Always making sure I was still physically whole. I loved her for it.

"I'm good mom; tired but good." I wanted to reassure her. She always worried too much for me. And, since Seth joined up, she had two sons to worry over; so she spread it out between us. "Where are dad and Alice?" I knew Seth was deployed so I decided it best not to mention him for now, unless I wanted her to tear up. It was her baby's first deployment. If my first deployment was any indication, I wanted to avoid that reaction at all costs. Tears and I didn't really mix.

"Your father is still at the hospital. He should be home soon and your sister is upstairs in her room."

I turned and yelled up the stairs, "Alice!!" It had been too long since I had seen her. She appeared out of nowhere, sped down the stairs, and launched herself into my arms. Same old Alice, I guess it's good some things never change. I twirled her around a bit before setting her down. She looked so grown up. She was the shortest in our family at an even five feet. Her hair was different, it was still the same black as my mothers but it was short, really short, and spiked all over the place. She was thin – a little too much for my liking – but she looked healthy. Her hazel eyes shined with mischief and her smile brightened the room. She was the apple of my eye, my baby sister.

"Never, ever do that again. Never ever go that long without seeing me you big lug," she said as she punched my arm. "If you go two years without seeing me again I'll hurt you so bad your children will feel it." She had the same old spunk, my little sister the spitfire.

"I'll try, Ranger's honor," I said. It was the best I could do but she understood.

"So tell me something. What do you have planned for today?" she asked and there it was again. That mischief reflected in her eyes. This was not gonna be good. I needed an action plan before I answered that question or I would be sucked into Hurricane Alice.

"Why?" I raised one eyebrow.

"Well I was wondering, if you were not doing anything maybe you could come shop…" I cut her off before she finished.

"Oh no, Alice. I love you but I refuse to spend the first day of my vacation carrying fifty shopping bags while following my sister around from store to store. I'd go nuts."

"Okay, suit yourself. But, you will go shopping with me before you leave. I promise I'll wear you down." With that, she walked out the door and blew me a kiss. That little pixie was already conspiring against me. Only time would tell whether she would succeed, I could never deny her anything for long.

Twenty minutes later, I prowled Fork's lone grocery store for some "man food" so that I could vegetate in front of the TV, and watch some action movies to decompress from the long trip. I looked down at my basket and noticed only one thing missing, the popcorn. I stalked over to what was deemed the snack aisle on the hunt for a decent box of popcorn. I walked into the aisle and instantly noticed a hot brunette on the opposite side of the aisle peering out as if trying to determine whether she should go into the next aisle. _Weird_. She turned around and I was floored. Hot was an understatement. Before she spotted me gawking, I bent down to examine the popcorn and my eyes landed on a box of poppycock flavored popcorn. _Great, just my luck._ I moved past it, ignored the box of healthy choice (not manly enough), and set my eyes on the selection of pop secret. As I debated flavors, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I raised myself up and came face to face with the hot brunette. _So much for not being noticed_. She let her basket fall, pressed herself up against me and whispered in my ear.

"Kiss Me." The edge in her voice made it sound like a command.

"Why?" Who the hell cares, it's a hot brunette.

"Who cares, just do it" as the words left her full mouth, she grabbed my head and pulled it towards her. Instinctively, I wrapped my free hand around her waist and pressed her further up against me. Her fingers curled around my neck and electricity flowed freely through my veins. My tongue traveled along the seam of her mouth, if she wanted a kiss then damn it she was gonna get the best kiss of her life. Our lips moved in synch with one another and I wondered what else we could do in synch. Her lips were heaven, like a good beer after a hard day in the field, and tasted like fresh mint and vanilla. God I could get used to this. All too soon, I heard footsteps come closer and an annoyingly nasal voice broke us apart. But, I would be damned if I let go of her and she did not pull away so I guess she didn't want to let go of me either.

"Bella?" the annoyingly nasal voice asked. Hmm so, that was her name.

Even after being discovered making out in the middle of the snack food aisle, she did not pull away. I regained my breath and used my opportunity to look over my grocery store assailant. She was short that was certain, five foot five on a good day. But, those 65 inches were packed with everything I dreamed of in a woman. She was thin but not so thin that I worried I would break her. She had curves under that tank top and those curves were dangerous to my health. She had perfect perky breasts, not too big but not too small. Her dark jeans encased a set of legs a mile long and it was easy to see that they were shapely. So, this was where my dream woman had been hiding; in Forks of all places. Her cinnamon brown hair was straight and wavy, perfect for getting lost in. I bet it would look great spanned out on my pillow. I needed to get my mind out of the gutter before the effects were noticeable.

"Bella is that you?" Jeesh that nasal voice was really starting to get on my nerves.

Bella- I hope that was her name- stroked my cheek and gave me a pleading look with her wide brown eyes. Those eyes- they were the same brown as caramel. I couldn't deny her anything when she looked at me with those eyes. She turned to face the nasal voice but didn't pull away so, I tugged her closer to me and rested my hand on her hip.

"Mike and Jessica, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were in town." She spoke in a forced cheery tone but her voice was still as sweet as honey. She clenched her hands into fists behind her back, and I couldn't help but wonder what had gone on between these three. The air was thick with tension and I had a feeling I was about to find out why I had been mauled in the aisle of a grocery store. I wondered what the odds were of being attacked by a hot stranger in the middle of the grocery store. I might want a repeat of that.

"Bella. I wasn't sure that was you. We saw you kissing and well it's not something you would do." The man next to the Voice spoke. He was tall six feet- maybe- and had a shocked expression adorning his boyish appearance. His blond hair was just as styled as a girl's was. _So, that is what a metro sexual looks like- hmmm._ He had his arm wrapped around the woman whose sole voiced annoyed me, but the looks on her face put me off just as much. It looked like it was permanently stuck in a combination between shock and envy, never a good combination. Still I couldn't help but be pleased 'Bella' must have been attracted to me enough to do something so unlike her.

"Maybe you did not know me as well as you thought, Mike. Did you think about that?"She asked as she snuggled further into me. Oh she was mad, and I wasn't about to add to it so I complied by tracing the outline of her body with my hand. Boy, what a body that was. So, this Mike was her ex and it looked like Jessica was the wild child who'd made him stray. The kiss in must have been some sort of payback.

"So how have you been Bella?" He asked while reaching towards her. He quickly halted his movement when Jessica tugged on his hand. Insecure anyone?

"I'm fantastic. School is great; I just got my bachelor's so I'm home for good. I start my master's program next month, but it's all online so I get to work at the hospital full time. I could not be happier with the way things turned out." She spoke in a tone full of conviction. She placed her hand over mine and stilled my movements. _Spoilsport. _Guess she wasn't going for a golden globe. Still, this woman had sparked something in me and I'd be dammed if I let her get away before I got a chance to talk to her one on one.

"Are you sure you are happy?" Who the hell did this guy think he was? She had just let him know she was happy. Was he deaf? Retarded? Probably, no man in his right mind trades in a woman that looks like Bella for someone like Jessica.

"Mike, we are going to be late to your parent's house." Jessica's nasal tone grated through the air.

"I am glad things are going well for you. Since Jessica and I moved to California, we have lost touch with everybody. We're going to be in town for a while because… well … we are getting married two weeks from now. It's last minute so you might not have known yet," Mike said apprehensively.

"Well congratulations Mikey boy." I had to do something. Tears shone in her eyes and I wanted to make her pain go away. It was clear he had hurt her badly. "Bella and I are very happy for you." I smacked him, **hard,** on his back

"Thanks," he said with a wince.

"When you meet the perfect girl everything just falls into place right, Mikey?" I pressed my lips to her hair to give her a kiss, and, oh God, her hair smelled like the air right after a rainstorm. It was exhilarating. The scent of her hair filled my senses and I murmured, "Life is just perfect with them by your side."

"I wanted you to hear it from us." Mike mumbled, although the sour expression on his face indicated telling her was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I'm happy for you Mike, I really am." Bella finally spoke again and her words rang true. She sounded genuinely happy for this idiot.

"Really?" He looked shocked and flabbergasted. How dense could this guy get?

"Really Mike. You left me at the altar a year ago, I've moved on, and I'm much much happier now." Ouch, this guy really was a douche bag.

"Guess you didn't become a hermit after all, Bella. I'm proud of you. I had heard from Mike's parents that you had become a bit of a social outcast and a workaholic." Jessica's snide comment made me want to yell at her. How dare she say something like that! Her words seemed to affect Bella because she looked like she was ready to attack her, probably with that Jar of honey in her basket." But, after this incident it looks like you have moved on. Why don't you introduce him to us?" Jessica continued with a sneer.

"My name is Emmett Cullen" I shook both their hands, and the predatory gaze in Jessica's eyes did not escape me. She looked like she wanted to eat me. Bella, on the other hand, looked surprised.

"Yes this is Emmett Cullen…my… boyfriend" I swallowed_. Her what? This was not part of the plan. Wai,t there wasn't a plan. _

"Well I'm happy for you." Jessica did not sound happy at all. She sounded like she wanted to rip  
Bella to shreds then carry me off into the sunset. Seems Jessica was the type to always want what she couldn't have.

"Really? Sure you don't want him too." This Bella really was feisty. I liked them feisty. Jessica grabbed hold of Mike once again and turned to leave.

"Hey Jessica," Jessica turned." Make sure you are careful choosing your bridesmaids. Wouldn't want Mikey there to take off with one of them too. Right? Oh, and I would have a plan B for transportation in case he leaves you at the altar too." Jessica turned a bright shade of red and sped out of the store. I liked Bella more and more. She could certainly hold her own.

As they left Bella sighed pretty loudly and turned to me. Looks like the crowd that had gathered around us had gotten to her. I gave them a look and they scattered.

"Thanks for that. I'm sorry I just launched myself at you. I panicked." She bit her lip and I wanted to kiss her again; but I had other things to take care of first.

"No problem. But how 'bout you thank me by going out to dinner with me tonight."

She hesitated but finally agreed as a blush overtook her features. The sight of that turned me on like nothing else. This was going be a long night.

An hour later, the plates had been cleared and I found myself enjoying the company of one Bella Swan. She had told me a little about herself in the last hour. I found out her last name was Swan, she had an older brother, she had a bachelor's in psychology and she was working nights as a research assistant at the local hospital. She learned I was an Army ranger home for my thirty-day leave. It was time, however, to get to the good stuff.

"So, why did you tell them I was your boyfriend?" She blushed once again. I was really starting to like seeing that blush grace her features.

"Well I don't normally kiss strangers in the middle of the grocery store. I guess I just didn't want them to know that they hurt me. Especially Mike. The letter he sent me broke my heart more so than him leaving me at the altar."

"What letter?" I was curious.

"After he left me, I got a letter through UPS the day after the wedding. It basically told me why he couldn't go through with it, and he defended his choice of running away with Jessica. He told me that he needed to be with Jessica because she was so unlike me, so he took her on our honeymoon. He said I was too boring for him." God, I wanted to kill that bastard. That was a cowardly way to break up with someone.

"Fair enough. I guess for the time being you are my girlfriend. Don't worry we'll show them how not boring you are, and we'll show Mikey what a dumbass he was for leaving you."

"Really? You mean you are willing to play along with it. You don't have to, you know." She looked surprised I was willing to help her. I wondered why?

"It's okay. I want to. I like spending time with you. Plus I'll make you a deal." That blush sprung up again and I couldn't help but be pleased with myself. She was thinking dirty.

"What kind of deal?"

"Nothing too bad. I pretend to be your boyfriend and help you become more adventurous. Although, after today I don't think you need help from me in that department. In exchange, you spend your days with me while my family is at work. That way I won't be alone too much while I spend my vacation in Forks. " She seemed to think it over for a while. I couldn't help but pray that she would accept. I felt drawn to her and I really wanted to spend some time with her. She had captivated me and I wanted to know why.

"Ok. I think that can work." _Perfect_. "So does that mean we get to have code names? You know, just like the army." She smiled and it lit up the room. She definitely was something.

"Sure. Every mission needs a name. What were you thinking?"

"Can it be something like Alpha or Charlie or Bravo or something like that?" I was right; she definitely was something. She spoke military.

"How about Alpha Bravo Zulu?" I always got a kick out of planning and executing a mission and this would be no different.

"It sounds perfect. Alpha Bravo Zulu it is." She beamed; she liked it. The fact that she liked it got me a little excited and I was not sure why. But, it was not a bad feeling.

And so operation Alpha Bravo Zulu had begun. Little did I know it would change my entire existence.

**Thanks for tuning in. I hope you'll review. I want to thank OliviaJane for the following inspiration. Starting with this chapter reviewers will get a teaser of the upcoming chapter. Also, Since I start school tomorrow I expect to have at least one update per week for you guys. Thanks again.**

**Lorena  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Bella POV

_I must have a death wish. That is the only explanation for following him out here __to__ in__ the middle of nowhere. There was no way this was safe; the hike was murder. Still, he said it was worth it so I was willing to follow him. I had no idea where we were going but I was enjoying the adventure of not knowing. _

_Thirty minutes later, it finally looked like we were getting somewhere. I saw a clearing up ahead and we slowly walked towards it. I was breathless… It was so beautiful; nothing could ever compare to this experience. The lushness of the surroundings was outstanding, the views incredible. I never wanted to leave. Emmett wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer… I was in heaven; his touch sent shivers through me. It had only been a day and already I knew there was something about him. Something special, I knew I could never get enough of him. _

_He turned to look at me and whispered, "You're an amazing woman, Bella, and Mike was a complete douche for letting you go. Still, if it weren't for him we wouldn't be standing here and I certainly would not be able to do this." He leaned in towards me, his hand wrapped around my waist; his lips were centimeters from mine. Oh God! Emmett Cullen was going to kiss me. His lips hovered over mine; I closed my eyes and closed the distance…_

BUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZ

What the heck was that? I turned over in bed and looked at the bright red letters of my bedside alarm clock. The numbers taunted me – 5:45 a.m. Damn it! Who the hell was calling me now? They were certainly gonna get a piece of my mind. No sane person was awake at this hour. I grabbed my phone off the bedside table and stared at the caller ID – Emmett Cullen. Of course, no sane person would be awake at this hour but he would.

"Hewo," I said my voice thick with sleep.

"Hey Bella, it's Emmett. Be ready in 15 minutes. Wear comfortable clothes." No one had the right to be that awake this early in the morning. Damn him and his energy.

"You want me to be ready 15 minutes from now?" I asked only slightly frustrated. I wanted to sleep darn it.

"Roger." God that sounded sexy. Snap out of it Bella! It was a dream.

"Are you nuts? Do you have any idea what time it is?" He laughed at my response. Laughed!

"Oh come on Bella, please? I promise you'll have fun. Trust me. I'll see you in a few." With that, he hung up. Hmmmff, what the hell did I get myself into.

Exactly 13 minutes later, I was outside my door waiting for Emmett. I wondered what on earth he had in mind if it meant leaving at six in the morning. I heard a roar coming from down the highway right before a huge monstrosity masquerading as a car came barreling down the street towards my house. The thing skidded to a halt right in my driveway; guess I shouldn't be surprised a guy like Emmett would drive something like this.

Emmett stepped out of the beast and my jaw dropped to the floor. I was sure I was drooling. He was perfect. He looked like he had just stepped out of a magazine; his worn jeans hugged his legs and other assets in a sinful way, while his white t-shirt showed off just the right amount of muscles without looking like he tried too hard. In his hand, however, was the most delicious sight known to mankind; a bag that prominently featured the golden arches of McDonald's. I knew then and there I could deny him nothing. He was carrying my kryptonite.

He came right up to me and hugged me with his free hand. His touch felt warm and comforting. I froze for a moment, and before I knew what to do, my arms wrapped around his waist of their own accord. It was the best hug I had ever gotten; Mike's hugs had nothing on Emmett's. Where Mike's hugs always felt nice, something was always off; we just didn't fit right.

"Hungry?" He asked as he pulled away from me.

"Absolutely. Come on inside and we'll eat before we take off."

He followed me inside and I led him into the kitchen. He placed the bag on the table and sat down across from me. I grabbed the bag and hastily went through its contents. He really was my favorite man; inside were two sausage Mcmuffins (no egg, yes!) and two hash browns.

"You are officially the perfect man, you know that right?" I said with a huge smile on my face.

"No I don't. Enlighten me," he asked as he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Any other breakfast and I would have chewed your head off for waking me up that early, but it's impossible to stay mad at a man who shares my taste in breakfast cuisine." He snorted at that.

"I'll remember that next time I wake you up this early." The smile on his face was incredibly charming.

Twenty minutes later, we were on the highway on our way to Seattle. It was a relatively quiet ride, but it was by no means uncomfortable. We had relatively different tastes in music but we managed to agree on a mainstream rock station. He kept the volume low so conversation was possible.

"So Em, Where are we going?" My mind had been in overdrive trying to figure out what on earth he had planned for us.

"It's been so long since I've been home; I'm thinking I want to be a tourist today. So, what would you like to show me in Seattle?" He really was priceless. Spending the day being a tourist with Emmett sounded like fun.

"Well, if you want to be a tourist then I know just what do with you. How 'bout we visit the space needle, then we can walk around the city and have some Starbucks, then we can end the day with an underground tour of the city? What do you think?" My voice sounded hopeful despite my attempts to sound neutral. I just really wanted him to have a good time today.

"Roger, it sounds like a plan to me."

Four hours later, our Seattle adventure began. We started out the day with the Underground tour. Emmett bought our tickets and we waited for the tour to begin. Five minutes later the tour guide began, "Welcome to Seattle's underground. Today we'll begin in Doc Maynard's. Doc's is a restored 1890's pub and nightclub of the time. There you'll hear the first part of the tour. From there, we'll walk through Pioneer Square and into three of the Underground areas below, which have been vacant since 1907. The tour will conclude at Rogues Gallery, the Underground gift shop. Are there any questions?" He paused for a second before continuing, "Very well then let's move along."

I did not remember the Underground being so uneven. Five steps into the tour I managed to trip over a flat surface; my legs gave out and I braced myself for the impact. Poor Emmett, though, he reached out to catch me but he was too late and I managed to bring him down with me. We fell onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. I looked down at him, his arms wrapped around me, and I could not contain my laughter. We had just taken a tumble in front of 15 other people, my cheeks must have looked like tomatoes, and I just couldn't stop laughing. _Emmett must think I'm crazy. _As soon as the thought occurred to me, Emmett busted out laughing. One and a half hours later, six close calls, and one more funny incident in which I managed to trip over my own two feet, the tour was over.

"Looks like you need constant protection. You're a hazard to yourself. Although, I have to hand it to you, before you I had yet to meet a human being that could trip over air." He laughed a booming laugh as he said this and I felt the color pool around my cheeks.

"So Emmy." I laughed at the expression on his face when I said that. "What's next on the agenda?"

"Well I don't know about you but I am starving. How 'bout we have some chow." He looked endearing as he rubbed his stomach in lazy circular motions.

"Sure, I could go for some lunch. Where do you wanna go?" My voice was laced with curiosity. I wondered what he had in store for me.

"How about the space needle?" He couldn't contain his excitement as he asked. I just couldn't say no when I saw that expectant look spread across his features.

"Sounds like a plan."

We ate lunch atop the space needle. The rotating restaurant gave us remarkable views of the Seattle skyline from every angle. Still, the most alluring view of all was Emmett as he entertained me with stories of his many military experiences. They way he spoke about his job reminded me of my dad when I asked him why he was a cop for my fifth grade father's day project. Emmett must really love the Army; the smile on his face and the glow that emanated from him as he spoke made me respect him even more for the choice that he made. He really wanted to make a difference. When he wasn't talking about the Army, he was asking me about my time away at college and my job at the hospital. It was great getting to know more about him. By the time either of us realized it, the day had gotten away from us. It was now three in the afternoon and time for us to start heading back. I wouldn't let us leave, though, without some Starbucks caffeine.

We walked to a local shop where I ordered a Venti white chocolate mocha while he had a Venti black tea and some Madeline cookies. As we exited the Starbucks, we were caught in a Seattle shower. The rain came down on both of us soaking us to the bone. It was bittersweet being caught up in the rain like this. I had always loved it and I remembered dancing in the rain as a little girl while my mom and dad watched me. I had not danced in the rain since she left. She couldn't handle dad's job, and one rainy day while I was out twirling in the rain, she packed her bags and left. She never looked back; she just left never to be heard from again. The memory brought a sad expression to my face.

Emmett looked at me with a confused expression on his face and I felt like telling him everything. He always put me at ease and I felt so comfortable around him. Still, the rational part of my brain screamed at me that I had only known him for a day and that letting him into my life like that was dangerous.

"Penny for your thoughts." He looked at me with the softest expression I had ever seen in a man. His brown was furrowed in concern and I just couldn't help myself. After all, it was the rational part of my brain that had gotten me left at the altar.

"Just remembering." I looked up to him and I felt my knees go weak. This man really was something.

"Remembering what?" He pressed on. He looked genuinely interested and I just could not deny him at that moment.

"I used to love getting caught in the rain and dancing as the rain poured over me. It was the most liberating experience ever. It used to make me feel happy and carefree; but, I haven't danced in the rain in a really long time and I kind of miss it." He looked at me for a second before a smile overtook his features.

"Well then what are waiting for? Come on." He took the drink out of my hand and placed both drinks on the ground beside him. He grabbed my hand and began twirling me in the rain. We danced in the rain, his hands firmly placed on my hips while my arms wrapped themselves around his neck. It was wonderful, exhilarating and liberating all at once. I laughed as we made complete fools of ourselves as we danced around in circles while people looked at us with curious expressions. It was far too soon when he finally released me and we walked back to our drinks.

"I haven't done that since my mom left when I was seven. That was so much fun," I said with a laugh. As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized what I had said. _Oh dear. _I had not meant for that to come out. _What was I thinking?_

Emmett just held my hand and smiled at me. It was funny how that simple gesture could make me forget about everything and just relax. He really had a gift. We walked back to the car and began our journey home.

We spent the drive home in a comfortable silence. Neither one of us felt the need to talk so we just let the music soothe us the entire way home. He dropped me off at my place to get ready for work with the promise that he would call me tomorrow. Today had been perfect. Thoughts of Emmett filled my head and all I could think about was the two of us twirling in the rain, dancing to music only we could hear. It was a perfect moment. The sound of the phone broke through my daydreams. I looked at the caller ID and froze. Images of my time with Emmett suddenly flew through my head.

It was Alice, as in my best friend Alice Cullen. How could it have eluded me? Emmett Cullen – as in Alice Cullen's oldest brother. _Oh crap!_ I was pretending to be Emmett Cullen's girlfriend. Emmett Cullen was pretending to be my boyfriend. Half the town had seen us make out in the snack aisle of the grocery store. By now, the entire town probably knew we were dating. Which meant… Alice probably knew we were "dating." _Oh crap, I am so dead. _How were we going to tell Alice? How would she take it?

I grabbed my phone and flipped it open.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer.... I own nothing. **

**A/N: Hey guys sorry it took so long. I started school and had to move all in two weeks. Landlord changed my pet policy so it was get rid of my cats or move out. I found a place and moved in within a week but then I had to play catch up in school. Also, I'm sorry for not getting teasers out, I promise to get chapter 5 teasers this time, though, I already have it written. Anyways... A thanks to SavageWoman for being an awesome beta and an even better friend for encouraging me while I got this chapter out. And finally Thanks! to all my readers and reviewers, your opinions mean a lot.**

**And now, onto another episode of Alpha Bravo Zulu...  
**

_Previously on Alpha Bravo Zulu…_

_It was Alice. As in my best friend Alice Cullen. How could it have eluded me? Emmett Cullen as in Alice Cullen's oldest brother. Oh, crap! I was pretending to be Emmett Cullen's girlfriend. Emmett Cullen was pretending to be my boyfriend. Half the town had seen us make out in the snack isle of the grocery store. By now, the entire town probably knew we were dating. Alice would probably know we were "dating." Oh crap, I am so dead. How were we going to tell Alice? How would she take it?_

_I grabbed my phone and flipped it open._

"Hello?" I sounded guilty; there was no way around it, we were busted.

"Bella! Where have you been all day? I tried calling you earlier and you weren't home. Are you okay?" Alice sounded confused, but there was something else. The usually chipper tone is her voice was noticeably absent.

"I'm fine Alice. I just went out, did a little sightseeing, and came home. Nothing too special. Is everything okay?" I wondered what was wrong with her. I had known Alice for almost two years now and her happy-go-lucky attitude was a permanent fixture. _Damn! She knew, she knew and she hated the idea. Crap! How am I gonna tell her? What should I tell her? Damn Emmett and his great tasting lips! Damn him for kissing me when I told him to!_

"Bella, do you think I've totally lost my touch? I mean, is my stuff pretentious? Am I trying too hard to be fashion forward? What if everyone really thinks I'm off my rocker?" She spoke so fast I almost didn't catch what she was saying. _What the hell is going on? _Alice is usually so confident. She had just launched a new line of home furnishings and was incredibly excited to show the world her "vision" of home décor. Now, though, she sounded scared to death of how people might respond to it.

"Alice you know your stuff is fantastic. What's eating you?" I wondered what could have shaken Alice's unwavering confidence. Whatever this was, it had to be big.

"Nothing. It's just, I was checking out my designs on the sales floor at the furniture gallery and I laid eyes on the most gorgeous man on the planet; I am not joking. He was tall, blond, blue eyed – the perfect man. So, I just had to meet him. I went up to him and tried to make small talk about my designs you know. And do you know what he said, do you?" She really was upset over this and I wanted nothing more than to make one of my best friends feel better.

"No, honey I don't. What did he say?" I asked in the most comforting voice I could muster.

"He said my designs were trying too hard to be unique, that the lines of my furniture left much to be desired, that is was too dainty and fragile to be a real couch. Then he had the nerve to say Tanya's furnishing looked like real furniture as opposed to breakable 'art.' The nerve of that man! And, Tanya's couches really! The woman wouldn't know originality if it bit her in the butt! Aarrgh! He just made me so mad." She was practically fuming at this point. You could hear the tension and anger in her voice.

"Then what happened, Alice?" She needed to get it out and at least this meant she had not heard about Emmet and me. Thank God for small miracles.

"So, I told him that I appreciated his input, and that I would consider it if I ever wanted to design furniture for tasteless morons who couldn't recognize art." _Go Alice!_ That was the woman I knew and loved.

"That's fantastic Alice. I'm glad you gave him a piece of your mind." I was glad she got it out of her system. Alice was really creative and to have someone bash her designs must have been awful for her.

"Thanks for letting me vent Bella. I really needed that. I have been so caught up in being mad and insecure that I almost forgot the reason why I called. But, now that we got that over with… Is there something you want to tell me? Anything at all?" _Uh oh! _I knew it was too good to be true. Oh, Alice, with her ability to switch from one topic to the next without so much as a breath, that trait of hers was going to give me a heart attack.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Alice. I can't think of anything I want to tell you at this particular moment." I prayed my voice wouldn't betray me; I was trying to sound innocent and indifferent but I don't think she was buying it.

"Fine," she huffed, "Is there anything you should tell me? Maybe something involving a heated make out session in the middle of a grocery store? Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend Bella? I thought we told each other everything. Why would you keep this to yourself? We have to celebrate that you got your groove back!" _Jeesh! _This was certainly not going the way I thought it would. I figured vague answers were the way to go.

"What you do you know, Alice? What have you heard?" Maybe I could get away with not telling her who it was if she hadn't heard my new "boy toy" was her older brother.

"I heard you have a _new _boyfriend, who you just so happened to make out with in the middle on the grocery store in front of Vile Mike! I have to meet him!" The cheery tone in her voice was back. It seemed torturing me about my "boyfriend" was Alice's idea of therapy.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea Alice. I'm just getting used to the idea of a relationship again and I'm enjoying the fact that it's just me and him right now." I hoped that was enough for her to let it go right now.

"Nonsense Bella. I'm sure he wants to meet your family. Let's meet at Mill Creek tomorrow night for dinner." Alice was definitely determined; at least she was giving me enough time for to talk to Emmett.

"I'm not going to win am I?" The resigned tone in my voice gave me all the answers I needed. I was never one to bet against Alice.

"Not even a chance." Alice really was enjoying this. I wasn't giving up that easily though.

"Fine, Alice you can meet him; but, you're gonna have to wait until this weekend. I want one more week of sanity before the wolves descend and start the third degree." _Hah! _Bella – one, Alice – one, about time I won one.

"I guess I can wait until Saturday. I have a pretty busy week anyway; lots of things to do for the launch of my furnishing line. I'll see you Saturday then. I have to go, I'll try to call later on in the week, I miss you so much, and I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever." She suddenly sounded sad.

"I miss you too, Alice. But, come on, you have been dreaming of this moment your entire life. It's okay if you're gone for a few weeks if it means your dreams come true. I love you and I'll see you on Saturday. Bye, hon."

"Bye Bella" Oh thank God! She did not know. I had enough time to talk to Emmett.

We needed to come up with a game plan. If we went in unprepared, the results would be disastrous. She would see right through us. What would we tell her? I really need to get a hold of Emmett. I flipped open my phone and dialed the now familiar number. He picked up on the third ring.

"Well hello gorgeous." He always was a charmer.

"Why didn't you tell me you were my best friend's brother? She just called right now and wants to meet my 'boyfriend.' What the hell are we gonna tell her? How do you want to handle this because I'm gonna be honest, she'll crack me if we are not on top of it." I sounded hysterical. I really wanted Alice to be okay with this. I needed her to be okay with me dating her brother, even if it was just for pretend.

"Calm down and breathe, Bella. In through your nose, out through your mouth. First off, how could you not know I was Alice's big brother? I mean how many Cullen families are there in Fork anyway? Secondly, I didn't know you were _The Bella, _I mean Alice has talked about you before but she never mentioned that you were from Forks. She also never briefed me on your personality. Our conversations regarding you were mostly about things you had done together. Finally, this whole thing is going to be okay. We just need to get together and come up with a story. She'll be fine with it, she loves you and she loves me; how can she not be okay with this?" He sounded so calm and collected; I just wanted to smack him.

"Well pardon me if I didn't make the connection. I was and have been a little distracted since the moment I kissed you!" _Oh crap! Too much information. I need to breathe and calm down. _"And why wouldn't I think this whole thing is going to be okay? Oh I don't know, maybe because we are lying to her. Or maybe it's because we aren't really dating just telling her we are. There! More lying! What if she doesn't like the idea of us dating? What then?" I was really stressing out over this. I really did not think this arrangement through. I hated lying to my friends and family and I was a terrible liar to boot.

"Calm down Bella! I promise everything will be okay; Alice will be fine with it. Secondly, we don't have to lie, just be vague. How 'bout I come over tomorrow and we can talk about it, ok?" He really was calm under pressure; I envied him for that.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow. Would you like to spend the day hanging out or do you have plans?" I sighed in defeat. I really was uncomfortable but I had a feeling after I sat down and talked things out in calm manner we could come to an understanding.

"If you don't mind I'll just crash on your couch for the day and we can hang out. If we are going to be able to pull this off I need to know more about you." I let out the breath of air I didn't even know I was holding. I had no idea why his answer was so important to me. I mean I had only known the man for a little over 24 hours but there was just something about him; something I just couldn't put my finger on.

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye." Tomorrow would not come quick enough.

Friday. The little sneak had been over every day this week. We had done everything there was to do in Forks. We went on a tour of the "landmarks" the town had acquired after some author had published a vampire novel based in Forks. We painted ceramic pottery, and we even took a walk around town. Every time I even bordered on bringing up our game plan he said he we had plenty of time and effectively distracted me. He would just look at me with those gorgeous eyes and I would get dazzled; warmth spread throughout my body and I would just let it go. But, as soon as I would close the door on him, the feelings of dread and apprehension would creep back up. My workweek had been hell; I was at my wits end trying to figure out how I would be able to lie to Alice. It just did not seem plausible to me. I promised myself that I would get this figured out today. There was no way I would face Alice without a game plan.

As I put the mushroom risotto in the oven, I heard the tell tale rumble of Betty coming down the street. I braced myself to see Emmett. I needed to be firm with him and hash this out now before I let him distract me. I made sure the living room was decent and quickly gathered my brown hair into a messy bun before I heard the doorbell ring. Emmett was waiting outside my door, DVD's in one hand and a grocery bag of junk food in the other. He really was amazing.

"Hey Emmett, come on in. I made risotto and it should be ready soon. Why don't you put your stuff down on the kitchen table and meet me on the couch." He really looked amazing. His perfectly broken-in low hung jeans and dark green t-shirt looked beyond amazing.

"You know if you keep feeding me like this, Bells, I'm never going to pass PT again." The smirk on his face was priceless.

"I'm just going to take that as a compliment. Now come on over here and sit." We really needed to just get this over with.

"Fine, let's just get this over with." He sat down next to me on the couch and turned his body to face me. His eyes bore into mine and for a second I was dazzled, but I was not going to let him distract me again.

"What are we going to tell Alice? I really don't want to lie to her. She is one of my best friends, and I have never lied to her." I hope he understood how hard this was for me. Kissing him in front of Mike and pretending he was my boyfriend I could do, lie to Alice I couldn't.

"Look Bella, I know you don't want to lie to my sister. So, there really are only two ways to do this. One we tell Alice the truth and just ask her to keep it to herself so we can still go to Mike's wedding. Or, two, we can tell Alice a different truth." He was so calm about this; I wondered what was going through his head. And, what different truth was he referring to?

"What truth are you referring to, exactly?" The look on my face must have given away my confusion because a smile spread across his features.

"Well Bella, will you be my girlfriend?" _huh?_ Was he kidding?

"Come on Emmett, be serious!" I was getting frustrated, what did he mean by that?

"I'm serious Bella. Being someone's girlfriend is just a title. Look, we have an arrangement and I am okay with it. It's not fake; if we do the things normal couples do; like go out on dates, spend time together, and get to know each other. Then, when I leave, we can still be friends. I wasn't lying when I said I enjoyed spending time with you, Bella. Trust me; if I weren't married to the Army, you would definitely be my type. Besides, we have a nice arrangement. So, what if it just so happens that the title has an expiration date. I hope the friendship doesn't." He looked at me, his expression serious, almost as if he was willing me to understand his point.

"I guess I can see your point. I'm just nervous about this whole thing with Alice." I sighed in defeat once again. I guess he made a valid point, but I felt like something was bound to go wrong with a plan like this.

"I promise everything will be okay. Plus, if Alice was not okay with us, I wouldn't mind just being your friend. You can never have too many friends. Now come on let's eat and watch some movies." The smile was back on his face and it was infectious. I felt my own smile begin to appear.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. We eventually decided that we would tell Alice that we met that day in the middle of the grocery store and just clicked. It was the truth, so I was comfortable with that. We really did just click that day, in more ways than one. Later on, we watched horror movies. _Leave it up to Emmett to choose a bunch of scary movies_. I spent the entire time either gripping his hand or burying my face in his chest. He just smiled at my wimpiness but took it all in stride. It was his own fault anyway for bringing those movies over.

After dinner and the movies, he went home; but the moment did not lack awkwardness. He bent down to kiss my cheek just as I turned to a ringing phone. Our lips touched for the briefest of seconds before he stepped back. It was a miniscule touch, but after I could still feel his lips on mine. It was incredibly weird. He excused himself after that and told me he would pick me up the following day for dinner at six. He wanted some friend time before the inquisition, he said. I watched him pull away from my driveway and I couldn't help thinking that it was going to be a long and pleasant night.

**Thanks for reading. I hope you review! Reviews make me happy. Also, reviewers get upcoming teasers for the upcoming chapter; plus, your opinions and ideas are wonderful to read when I get stuck. Until next time...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.... I'm just playing with it.**

**PLEASE READ:**

**This is the revised version. I am so sorry if anyone read the unedited version of this chapter. It got uploaded by mistake. I am really sorry if anyone was offended; I do know the unedited version had some inappropriate material for younger readers and I needed my beta to help me tone it down. I guarantee this chapter has been carefully scrutinized by my awesome beta.**

**A/N: Thank you guys for sticking with me. This week has been hectic what with midterms and all that Jazz. But, they are finally done and I am definitely unpacked. I know its been a while so I decided to make this chapter extra long just for you guys. Thanks so much for the continued support and reviews. They mean the world to me. Finally, as always this chapter wouldn't be her if it weren't for my awesome beta SavageWoman. She's just fabulous staying up at all hours of the night with me getting all the creative juices out lol  
**

**Now, onto the story...**

Emmett POV

_This last week had been murder on my self-control._ Enough said. Bella Swan was definitely an intriguing creature. Over the past week I learned that she never did quite what you expected her to do. That day in Seattle at the beginning of the week taught me one thing; If I wasn't careful things would get out of hand too fast.

I woke up that morning anxious to see her again and I was genuinely shocked that she was outside her door waiting for me. She was low maintenance and I loved that. I thoroughly enjoyed being a 'tourist' with Bella; I also had never met a woman who could trip over air. I honestly thought we could be good friends; but everything changed that afternoon. The Seattle skyline was fantastic but the only thing I could concentrate on was the way Bella's features lit up as I regaled her with my Army stories. She was gorgeous.

The defining moment, however, happened when we were caught in the rain. When she stood there with the saddest expression on her face, all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and make her smile. I loved her smile; it was so bright and hopeful. Bella told me how she missed dancing in the rain; so, I figured… _what the hell! _ We danced in the rain, oblivious to everyone around us as we made complete idiots out of ourselves. But, her smile at the end was worth it. When she told me about her mother, everything came crashing down.

In that moment of vulnerability, I realized Bella was not someone to mess with. Her mother had left her, her father was dead, and her fiancée had left her at the altar; an Army man was not what she needed. She needed someone who could always be there for her, someone who would make her his top priority, and someone who could not be called away at any moment. We could be friends, nothing more. Of course, this meant that any feelings I might have felt while kissing her or holding her as she fell had to be ignored. This would not get out of hand, Alpha Bravo Zulu was my mission; I would pretend to be her boyfriend, nothing more. We would have fun, we would be friends, and we would be companions only for the duration of my leave.

When she told me about Alice and the dinner, I waged an internal battle. I presented a cool and calm exterior. I was good at that. Internally, though, I was anything but. Bringing families into the mix was not in the original agreement. Although, after I thought about it, it should have clicked in my head that Bella was Alice's friend. Still, I could not bring myself to shy away from declaring that Bella and I were a couple. I was comfortable with that and I guess it was because I knew the limitations of our arrangement. Being together was effortless as much for her as it was for me; that much was obvious.

This last week had been worse than facing hostile forces in the Middle Eastern desert. The more I got to know Bella, the more I became addicted. It had been a low-key week, but _oh what a week it had been. _ Every day had ended in a cold shower, and even that couldn't keep the mental images at bay. It was getting harder and harder to resist. Today was the worst though.

When she opened the door wearing tight fitting work out pants and a football jersey, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. A heaven complete with mushroom risotto; her cooking was to die for, her looks were phenomenal, and her spirit was beautiful. Being Bella's titular boyfriend would be a walk in the park. The best part of the night, for me at least, was that almost kiss right before I left. I wanted to just push her up against the doorway and ravage her, but I knew she deserved better. My presence was transitory and she was the kind of woman that needed a type of commitment I couldn't give. It looked like tonight would once again end in a cold shower right before lights out.

Always faithful, my Betty got me to Bella's with a minute to spare. I got out of the car and walked up to her front door. If I was honest with myself, I would admit I was a little anxious; however, I like being in denial so I was not going to admit a damn thing. I stepped out of the hummer, brushed my hand on the legs of my jeans and walked up Bella's front steps.

When she opened the door, my jaw hit the floor. She looked amazing. Her incredibly long legs sported a black pair of pants so tight they were like a second skin and a gray dress that could be a little tighter. It hung off her frame like a sweater; but my mind was in overdrive trying to process what those legs would look and feel like around me that I didn't notice much else.

"Emmett, is everything okay?" Her melodic voice ripped me from my daze. I looked down at her and plastered the most innocent look on my face; a look that wouldn't give away the fact that I wanted to ravage her in the backseat of my hummer.

"Everything is fine. Now let's get out of here." I took her hand, led her to Betty, and lifted her into the passenger seat. She felt like heaven in my arms and I didn't want to let go.

A few minutes later, we pulled up to Mill Creek Bar and Grill. The place was packed with people. I led Bella over to the last empty table and waited for the waitress to come take our orders. As I sat there, all I could think about were the images of Bella's scintillating legs running through my head over and over. I needed to get my head out of the gutter and focus on something else.

Just as I was about to ask Bella to play a round of pool in order to ease some of my sexual tension, I saw a dark look cross her face. She went from happy-go-lucky to pissed in a second flat. I followed her gaze until my eyes landed on a man with red hair who looked like he wanted to murder me. Immediately I assessed his potential threat to me. He was tall but not taller than I was. He looked about six feet. He was strong but slightly wiry. Overall, not a major threat, but the look on his face told me not to underestimate the power of his anger. I wondered who he was as he wrapped his arm around a blonde woman's waist and headed towards us.

As they approached us, my sister came into view behind them. She looked mad, her silver eyes stony. She looked straight at Bella and her expression became apologetic, at least until she caught sight of me sitting next to her. Her eyes widened in recognition before a small smile started to overtake her features. They finally reached us and sat down. A few awkward minutes passed before I finally spoke up.

"Hey there sis, fancy seeing you here." I gave my sister the most innocent smile I could muster. I wondered what was going through her head.

"Emmett. You're Bella's boyfriend? The man she made out with in the middle of the grocery store. When did you people get together and why wasn't I informed? I mean she's my best friend and you're my brother for Pete's sake." She looked confused and slightly hurt. I instantly felt guilty for not telling her sooner. I guess I just wanted to keep Bella to myself a little longer. It also didn't escape my notice that at the word boyfriend the towering red inferno stiffened even more.

"Alice" I paused. I wanted to get this right. "Look, I am going to be honest with you. I met Bella that day in the grocery story. We connected – we just clicked. There was a spark and we couldn't deny it. So we decided to see where it could take us. We like each other and we want to give it a shot. So yes, she is my girlfriend and I am her boyfriend but things are still new so don't push it okay." I did not want Alice injecting herself into my arrangement with Bella. Knowing Alice, she has already started planning our wedding. She'll probably design the hell out of my life with Bella; give me the whole white picket fence bullshit, Alice style. Plus, the last time I let Alice anywhere near my love life, I ended up spending most of my relationship shopping for "the perfect" anything and everything than actually getting some.

"Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that you kissed my baby sister in the middle of a grocery store after only knowing her a few minutes!" _Oh, shit! The guy was her brother. He looked downright pissed. His face was turning a deep shade of red while clenching his fists on top of the table, and it looked like he wanted to punch me senseless. _He turned and rounded on Bella. "And you… What the hell were you thinking kissing some stranger in public like that!? Do you know how dangerous that was? He could have been a serial killer! Or worse, he could be just another Mike! I didn't know you could be so stupid Bella, did you learn nothing from Mike?"

Bella looked positively furious. Her face was a light with a crimson glow. Her brown eyes looked fiery and her stone cold facial expression was an incredible turn on. _Damn she was sexy when she was mad._

"Screw you, Edward! You may be my brother but that doesn't mean you can act like a jackass and talk to me like that." She was seething. And damn it, she looked hotter than ever. "If you haven't noticed, I am an adult now; a 22-year-old independent woman who can kiss whomever the hell she wants and I want Emmett. If you don't like it tough, but you are going to have to get used to it." Damn, I wanted to throw her onto the table and cover her in kisses.

"I'm just looking out for you Bella. You are my _baby _sister and I don't want you to get hurt again." He had the decency to look ashamed of himself. The blond was also glaring at him; her icy blue eyes making him shrink before my very eyes.

"Okay, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Rosalie, Edward; this is my boyfriend Emmett. Emmett this is my brother and his wife." Bella was trying to get the conversation back on track and I thanked her for that. If looks could kill, I would have been dead and buried ten times over. The blond smiled at me and held out her hand. She seemed like a nice lady. Edward just scowled some more.

The waitress came soon after and we placed our orders. The rest of the meal was incredibly awkward. The girls, bless them, tried to make conversation but Edward would just grunt and scowl like a petulant child. He really did not like me, and I guess that right now I really did not like his brooding ass.

"Hey you guys want to play some pool?" After dinner, I needed to lighten the mood. The tension between us was so thick you could cut it with a M9 Bayonet.

"Sure, we can play in teams." Bella was perfect, always a trooper.

"You guys go ahead. I need to get home and get some work done. Emmett, I love you and I really am happy that you two got together. Just don't screw it up or you'll have me to deal with." Alice sounded deadly serious but the smile tugging at her lips gave her away. She was happy for us and the wheels in her head were already turning. _Damn the scheming pixie!_

After Bella managed to get Edward and his wife to agree to play, we headed over to the pool table. We decided to play eight ball in teams of two – Bella and I against Edward and Rosalie. This was going to be a piece of cake. Bella racked up the balls and I was going to break.

I aligned my cue stick with the ball and struck it with as much force as possible. I managed to sink in two solid balls.

"Alright, Swan looks like you're stripes." I smirked at him. There wasn't a clear shot in the bunch.

Edward lined up his shot and struck the ball. He almost made the shot but he made sure not to leave an open shot. I had to admit, I was impressed. A real player recognized that if you don't have a shot then you better damn well make sure your opponent doesn't have a shot either.

Bella looked at me quizzically and I wondered what was going through her mind. She circled the pool table looking for a possible shot. She bent down, and lined up the cue a couple of different ways to see what would work best. She looked perpetually hot bending over the table and I wanted to take her then there. I wanted to make her mine. _Shit! I needed to get a handle on myself._ I was incredibly grateful that her brother couldn't read minds or I would be leaving the bar in a body bag.

"Emmett I need your help over here. I can't figure out which shot to take." That was it; she was put on this earth to torture me. Those wonderful curves, those beautiful pouty lips, that silky hair were all specifically meant to push me to my wits end. I would readily comply though. I walked up to her, wrapped my arm around her waist and bent down over the table with her. Her body was flush up against mine and I felt myself melt, just a little. I was a man after all. Her body melded with mine as I guided her hand over the cue stick, lining up the shot. She fit perfectly into the contours of my body and I wanted more. I let my lips trail over her neck as she took the shot and straightened up. _The little vixen._

We ended up losing the game but I just couldn't help myself. Every time that Bella leaned over that table, my body went into overdrive. I couldn't help wrapping my arms around her at every opportunity I got, or kissing her lightly while we waited for our turn. She was perfect and we fit together like two pieces of the same puzzle. She didn't resist either. She would press her body up against mine as I tried to take my shot and she ruined our only shot at winning when she decided to blow in my ear as I was trying to sink the eight ball. The scratch and subsequent loss were well worth it, though, for the moment of pleasure I got.

We put up our cue sticks and returned the set of balls back to the bar. As we were walking out, someone pulled me back.

"Can we talk?" Edward looked murderous. _Guess he didn't like our little public display of affection._

"Sure what's on your mind?" Might as well get this over with sooner rather than later.

"Look I'm not happy about this whole thing with my sister. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why she wants you. It's obvious you're not here to stay. My sister deserves better. She needs some stability after what happened with Mike. I swear if you hurt her, I'll hunt you down. I'll make sure you get yours." He looked downright scary. He was stone cold serious and he was right; she did deserve better. Still, I couldn't help but be selfish. I wanted her and tonight made me realize how much I needed her.

"You might not be happy about it but it's happening. Bella is an amazing woman and I plan to get to know her. I can't promise I won't hurt her, but I can promise hurting her is not my intention. I hope you can see and understand that it is the best I can do." He nodded and I turned away. I walked up to Bella and took her hand in mine. We exited the bar hand-in-hand my mind wondering what I had gotten myself into.

The ride to Bella's house was eerily silent. My mind was in overdrive. I really liked Bella; hell, she was different from any other woman I had ever met. I wanted her but I also knew I was leaving. I was never much for commitment and no woman I had been with had pressed me further on it. But, I had a lingering feeling that Bella would push me to the limit. She would want some sort of commitment and I wasn't sure I could do that given my profession. I was okay being alone for the sake of my country.

When we finally arrived I felt like I was thirteen again, and walking my first date to her door. At the door I wanted to hug her, kiss her; I wanted her to invite me in. I knew better, though, she wasn't that kind of girl.

"Emmett, would you like to come in. I think we need to talk." _Shit. Those words never bode well. Nothing good had ever come after a woman had said those words to me._

"Okay. Let's talk." My face gave away nothing. Still, as silly as it may seem, I just couldn't let Bella go. In the short time that I had known her, it had been painstakingly obvious that there was something between us.

She led me inside and into her living room. I sat on the couch and braced myself for the onslaught of whatever was to come. Come what may, I am always ready; I am always strong. I could handle whatever she said. She turned her body towards mine on the couch and let out a shaky breath.

"Tonight was definitely something huh?" She paused for a second looking slightly scared before she continued, "there is something that I need to get off my chest. Please don't interrupt me until I am done. Afterwards, you can say anything you want." She let out a huff of air. I saw her features go from contemplative to determined as she steeled herself.

"There is no denying the attraction here Emmett; I am attracted to you. But, I can't help but feel that there is something more between us. I like you, a lot. I like you in a way I have not liked anyone in a year, maybe ever. When you hold me, I feel safe. When you kiss me, I feel more alive than I have ever been. I have never met a man that makes me feel the way you do. I just know that there is something here, something worth exploring and embracing. I know your stay here is temporary but that doesn't mean we have to be temporary. I'm falling here Emmett and I want you to be the one to catch me. I know commitment is not your thing; you love your job too much to truly commit to one woman, so far. I don't want commitment right away Em, I just want the possibility of commitment. I want to know that the door is open and that the expected expiration date is gone. I want to be able to fall Em and I want you to be open to the idea of falling too." There it was; she had laid it all out on the table. She had thrown me the ball and it was up to me to make the next move.

"I just can't Bella. Friendship yes, that we can have. Anything else is just not possible. There is no way that I can subject you to that lifestyle. Never knowing when I'll be home, never knowing if I am okay. Not everyone is cut out for that life Bella. The Army always comes first, no matter what. When they call, you answer and you do what they say, no questions asked. In a relationship, you would always come second to my profession. You need more than that. You need a man who will put you first, who will come when you call and will not leave without notice. And, after everything you have been through in the last year, you need a man with stability. I can't give you that." I hoped that she understood. No matter what her feelings were, it just wasn't possible.

"You know, I am sick and tired of you and my brother and all those busybody townspeople telling me what the hell I need. I am a grown woman and I know what I need. It just so happens that what I want and need is you. Screw you Em, if you think you know what is better for me than I do. You think I don't know what it's like. Huh? My dad was a cop, working late nights, sometimes never coming home for days. I know the kind of strain that absence can put on a relationship. I saw it on a daily basis with my parents. My dad put his life on the line every damn day of his life serving the people of this state and yes, it cost him; he lost his wife and he lost his life fighting criminals. I saw my mother walk out on him, on me, and on Edward because she couldn't handle it anymore, because she could not share him, because she could not understand that he had to put the job first. What my mother did nearly killed us all but you know what, she gave up. She gave up on him; she gave up on us because she wasn't strong enough to fight for the man she wanted. I could never do that; I could never just give up on what I wanted." Her face was flushed with anger; she was really worked up over this.

"See Bella that is my point. Relationships don't last under that kind of pressure. People get lonely. They get tired of waiting. They stray or they leave. It is just what happens." I needed her to understand. It just wouldn't work out. I couldn't get my hopes up only to have it end because of what I do.

"Em, not all relationships crack under that kind of pressure. Some people make it; they make it work despite all the obstacles. If there is love, there is something worth fighting for. Edward and Rosalie have been married five years and despite all the absences and the fear of him not coming home they manage to make it. They make it work for them. They are happy and they would never stray away from each other. They will make it, the love they have is strong because they fight for it. Both are stubborn and they won't let something like absence get in the way of their relationship. I have to have faith that when the love is there I won't give up either, that I'll fight for it like they do, Em. I am not asking for marriage. God knows that is the last thing on my 'to do list' after last year. But, I want to fight for this Em, for what we have, because there is something here. Something, I think, that is worth fighting for. You can't deny that. I know you feel it too. You just have to." She was right. I couldn't deny it. There was something there, but would we be strong enough to survive the pressure.

"Bella I'm no good at relationships. I would just effing mutilate it. I couldn't hurt you like that." Damn it I was cracking. Bella was both strong and stubborn, this declaration alone proved it. Plus, she was making some sort of sense to my jumbled mind.

"Em, stop over analyzing. Just stop it. Forget about what you might do or what might happen when you leave. I'm done over analyzing; I need you to stop too. Let's live in the moment, and in this moment I want you. I want you to go all in." I wanted to, I really wanted to but I was not sure I could let go. Over analyzing had kept me alive, it had kept me safe. I wanted to respond, say something, say anything. Tell her it just wasn't possible. She must have read my face like a book though because she pressed herself closer to me on the couch.

Before I could respond, she crashed her lips to mine. She put everything she had into that kiss. Every feeling, every fear, everything poured out of her. Her tongue traced my bottom lip and I couldn't help the groan that escaped my mouth. She wrapped her arms around my neck while her kiss pleaded with me. It pleaded for us, for a leap of faith, for me to let go, for me to grow a pair. I kissed her back, our tongues melding together and moving in a wonderful slow rhythm. A kiss laced with promise, the promise of something more to come; the hint of something stronger than liking each other, something stronger than us. I couldn't help myself. I wanted her, _bad. _Was it worth fighting for? Was it worth a shot? Could I really take this leap?

She broke away from me slowly, her eyes peaking out at me from underneath her lashes. After a few seconds, she faced me head on, her face honest and vulnerable. She had put herself out there completely and it was up to me to decide what to do with. But, what should I do?

"I can't promise I won't completely screw this up. I can't promise I won't hurt you. I can't even promise I won't leave. I can promise, though, to give this a shot, and I can promise that I'll try to go all in." I guess in the end my selfish nature won out. I wanted Bella for myself.

"That is all I want form you." She beamed at me before curling into me. She fit perfectly against me. I just hoped to hell that I wouldn't hurt her too bad.

**Woo hoo! Another chapter finished. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you review. I love reviews, getting them is like getting chocolates. Remember that reviewers get teasers for the upcoming chapter. Also, I am toying around with a couple of new stories; some Em/B and others are E/B so be on the lookout for those.**

**Until next time,**

**xoxoxoxo**

**Lorena**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.... It's SM's world, I just play in it.**

**A/N: Hey guys. Here it is the next chapter. I'm sorry I didn't get teasers out but I was hit with severe writers block. I figured you guys would prefer a whole chapter rather than a teaser then a couple of days before the next chapter. Once again thanks to the lovely SavageWoman for putting up with me and helping me get this out. You Rock Girlie! **

**On the flipside, I started a new story called Trial By Fire. It is an Ed/Bella story. I wrote it to help with the writer's block and I'm pretty happy with it. Let me know what you think. If you guys like it I'll continue it. **

**And now, on to our Feature Presentation....**

Emmett POV

There was a crick in my neck – that much was clear. I lifted my head and took in my surroundings. I was on Bella's couch, Bella in my arms. _Guess we dozed off watching that movie_. Last night had been intensive; I was still apprehensive about letting it all hang out like that but a part of me couldn't be happier that Bella was mine.

I picked up my cell phone from the coffee table and dialed Alice's number. I needed something special to do with Bella today. I wanted a stress free day with her by my side away from overbearing big brothers. Lucky for me she picked up on the second ring.

"Hey Alice, I need a favor." _Smooth, real smooth._ "I want to do something romantic with Bella today but I have no clue what to do." _There you go, that didn't sound desperate at all._

"_Well hello to you too dear brother."_ She sounded annoyed, maybe I went about this the wrong way.

"I'm sorry Alli. Good morning, oh wonderful sister of mine. How are you this morning?" There, now she has to help me.

"_Better, much better. I am good. I'm at home eating breakfast. Where might you be?" _You could practically hear the smirk on her face through the phone. She was having way too much fun with this.

"I'm at Bella's house. We fell asleep last night. Now can you please help me? I have no clue how to do this whole relationship thing." _Might as well lay it all out on the table._

"_Aw. My big brother is finally growing up. I'm so proud of you. Don't worry; I've got just the thing. Sister Alice will take care of the whole thing. I'll send you a text with all the info once I get everything taken care of. Okay." _There was my scheming pixie. Always one step ahead of me.

"Nothing too out there, Alice. Okay? Just something simple." Knowing Alice, it was best to establish some ground rules.

"_Yeah. Yeah. I got it. Don't worry. Leave it all to me." _With that she hung up the phone to do God knows what with my credit card information.

I turned on the TV and waited. _This should be interesting. _Sure enough thirty minutes later my phone was buzzing. I picked it up and flipped it open. I opened Alice's message and chuckled. Of course, only in Alice's mind would that be considered simple.

I gently prodded Bella awake and was blown away with how innocent she looked as she slept. Her eyelids fluttered open and she her brown eyes bore into me. She really was something special. I only hoped that my departure wouldn't hurt her too much.

"Hey Em, what time is it?" She raised her hands over her head and stretched. Her pale blue shirt raised the tiniest bit, exposing a wonderful sliver of that creamy pale skin I wanted to touch so badly.

"It's still early. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll come get you a little later after I get back from the gym. I think my game needs a little work." A little run around the basketball courts would wake me right up.

"If you hold on a minute, I'll come with." _Holy Crap. _She definitely was something; I loved a woman who wasn't afraid to get a little sweaty.

"Damn it. You're the perfect woman you know that." The smirk on my face was unmistakable; I was turned on by her answer.

Twenty minutes later, we were both on the basketball court. Bella was the only woman I knew that could make workout clothes look incredibly hot and sexy. She was wearing work out pants that rode low on her hips and a fitted red sports top. Her brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail atop her head.

"Come on Em Bear, I'm gonna shut you out like the Seahawks shut out the Niners in '07" The wicked smirk on her face made my blood boil with lust.

"Don't tell me you know a li'l something about football?" Could she get any better? Brains, athletic, and sports knowledge. Damn! What on earth had I done to deserve her?

"Why is that so hard to believe?" The indignant look on her face was incredibly adorable. Her puckered lips were just begging to be kissed.

"No. It's just dangerous. I might ask you to marry me my little Bella Ballerina." Her smile lit up the room as she dribbled the ball all the way down the court and sunk a beautiful layup before I could move a single step.

_Holy Hell!_ I was getting blocked worse than a mother superior at a frat party. The girl could play. She was bobbing, weaving, and blocking every shot I did manage to throw. She was unstoppable and with every shot she sunk, I found myself getting hotter and hotter. The effect she had on me was intoxicating.

"Come one Kobe, time to go home." An hour of getting my ass kicked was enough for me. Who would have thought that the perpetual klutz would be a regular Shaq on the court?

"Got tired of getting shown up by a girl, Cullen?" _The little vixen. _She had a cocky grin permanently plastered on her face with her hip slightly jut out, and there were sweaty tendrils of hair sticking to her face. She looked like a vision.

"No, I just want to get home and get you out of these sweaty clothes so we can keep the momentum going." The grin was back on my face. I had the perfect plan for today; she was going to love it.

"Ok then, ranger. Let's blow this popsicle stand." She sashayed her way into the locker room, her hair swaying and my mind wandering.

We left the gym walking hand in hand. It was a new experience for me, but the feel of Bella's warm hand in mine was comforting. We walked up to Betty and I lifted her up and into the car. I was going to take full advantage of every opportunity I had to touch her.

"So where are you taking me today? Are we going hunting in the woods? Or maybe we're going to wrestle a grizzly bear?" The expectant look on her face and the way she scrunched up her nose when rattling things off made her all that more endearing.

"No. Nothing quite so dangerous, I promise I'll keep the grizzly wrestling to a minimum. "Bella erupted into fit a giggles as I said this, and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"Alright then Grizzly Adams, where are we going?" I wondered whether I should tell her or if I should let it be a surprise.

"Well we are taking advantage of the unusually nice weather to take a nice long ride. What do you say?" I turned my head and looked straight at her, an earnest look on my face.

"A ride? What kind of ride?" She raised a quizzical eyebrow as she contemplated my statement. _Good luck figuring it out, honey._

The rest of the drive was mostly silent with the exception of Bella's sudden outbursts. She was desperately trying to guess where we were going; she guessed everything from clay firing to paintball. Apparently, we had to cram as much excitement as we could in accordance with Bella's new outlook on life. Hell, if she wanted to live everyday to the fullest, then I was making it my personal directive to ensure her success. I couldn't wait to see her face when she realized what I had in store for us today.

We pulled up to the field with ten minutes to spare. _Atta Boy, Soldier. _A short, plump man was waiting for us at the edge of the clearing. It was an unusually warm and clear day and I was looking forward to sharing this with Bella

"Hello there, folks! My name is Edgar and I'll be your conductor today. Everything is setup just over the hill but we have to go through a few safety measures before we get going." Edgar had cropped reddish brown hair and a permanent toothy smile on his face.

"Safety precautions? What kind of safety precautions? What are we doing that would require safety measure training?" She turned to look at me – worry and anxiety written all over her face.

"Bella, sweetheart. Do you trust me? Do you think I would honestly let you get hurt?" It was a loaded question and I knew it._ Here goes nothing._

"I trust you Em. I know you wouldn't let me get hurt. I just don't trust whatever the hell it is that we are doing." She looked slightly calmer as the man started rattling off instructions.

After a safety crash course, we started walking over the hill, Bella holding onto my hand for dear life. She stayed close to me as we walked, and I enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed to mine.

"Alrighty then, folks. Looks like we are good to go." The man pointed to a full erect hot air balloon complete with basket.

"Oh, Em! How on earth did you put this all together?" Her face was radiant. This was the moment I had been waiting for. The smile on her face was exhilarating and the expectant look on her face was enough to make this whole thing worthwhile.

"Let's just say I had a little help from a little pixie." I flashed her a smile as I took her hand in mine and led her into the basket.

"I should have known. Alice can move mountains with a single cell phone." She laughed a hearty laugh and stepped into the basket.

With that, we were off. We climbed steadily until we reached, what I assume to be, cruising altitude. I looked at Bella and was pleased that she looked like she was enjoying herself. She was scanning the surroundings, taking everything in. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly parted, and her hair was flipping in the wind. She was the most breathtaking sight around. We flew for hours, just taking in the sights and talking. I was having the time of my life getting to know Bella.

I loved learning everything I could about her. How the faint scar on her chin was the result of her first bike ride without training wheels. How her dad used to take her to the park every weekend so they could play one-on-one baseball. How she grew up watching football on the TV with her dad. How she enjoyed reading and writing. How she hated high school because of all the superficiality. Even how much she enjoyed working at the hospital and being independent.

She told me everything and anything about her, and in turn, I shared some of who I was too. We were learning together and it couldn't have been any better. We were coming to the end of our journey and I was almost disappointed that it had gone by so fast.

"Buckle up folks. It's going to be a hard landing." Edgar was right, the wind had been picking up in the last hour or so, and it was starting to get really dark and cloudy. It looked like we were about to be ambushed by Washington weather.

The balloon started picking up speed on descent and Bella was starting to get anxious. _Damn it, this was not how it was supposed to go. _I gathered Bella up in my arms and prepared my body for impact. The balloon continued its descent picking up speed as it went. This would not be good.

We landed with a loud thud and the basket toppled over, bringing us with it. We fell to the ground and I landed flat on my back with Bella on top of me. Bella looked scared so she buried her head in my chest. I rolled us over so that I was on my side and took a moment to examine our bodies for injuries. The fall was bad but I was prepared for it not that it mattered; it still hurt like hell. My back was badly bruised but there was no permanent damage. Legs and arms were fine. No broken bones and everything was functional. I looked over at Bella and was glad to see that there wasn't any damage. I had hoped I had broken her fall pretty well and it looked like I was right.

We picked ourselves up and dusted grass and dirt from our bodies before turning back and making sure our one-man crew was okay.

"Don't worry folks. If you fall enough times, you get used to it. I hope that little tumble didn't ruin your entire day." Edgar seemed fine and the rest of the field crew was approaching. Probably to help him gather everything up.

"No. It didn't. We had a great time. Thank you very much." Bella responded, a sincere look on her face.

"Yeah, it was definitely worth it to take that tumble if it meant I got to hold you in my arms." I flashed my signature cocky grin as I whispered into her ear, but I was surprised when she came over and playfully smacked my arm.

"Come one soldier, that tumble just gave me an appetite, and I need more than a fast food highway breakfast to keep me going." She smirked as she led me towards the car so we could grab a late lunch.

Bella decided to have lunch at Forks coffee shop, so we headed there. We went inside and sat down at one of the powder blue booths. We already knew what we were hungry for, so we waited for the waitress to come on over and take our orders. While we waited, I took a moment to scan the surroundings and suddenly wished I hadn't. Sitting there two booths away was Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. _Damn our luck today._

I hoped they wouldn't see us, but who in the hell was I kidding. It was like that Jessica had a freaking Bella detector. As soon as I spotted her, she turned around and waved. _Crap, this would not end well._

Jessica must have noticed my discomfort because she got up, pulled Mike to his feet, and practically dragged him over to our table. The look in her eyes was predatory and lustful. She must have been one of those girls that stole her friends' Barbie dolls because she thought they were better than hers were. _Guess she never learnt that everything looks better on the other side when you look through envy colored glasses._ She and Mike sauntered over to our table and sat down, Jessica never giving Bella so much as a glance.

"Emmett, how nice to see you. What are you doing here?" Her attempt at a purr was more than just bad; it was pathetic. _How could she think that tone could even be considered remotely sexy?_

"Hey Jeanette. How are you and Mick?" The look on her face was priceless. She looked utterly red with anger.

"Actually, it's Mike and Jessica." The strained tone of Mike's voice let me know I had struck a chord.

"And it's nice to see you both out and about. I was starting to think Bella here made your whole relationship up to make herself look less pathetic than she really is." A smug sneer overtook Jessica's features and I wanted nothing more than to knock her off her high horse.

"Oh Jess you know deceit is your specialty. I couldn't possibly take that away from you. Em and I have just been spending some quality time alone before he has to leave again. I have to make sure that he satisfies all my needs before he leaves me for who knows how long." Bella responded without missing a beat, a smile on her face as she inched her way closer to me.

"You know me. I am to please hon." I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and nuzzled her neck, eliciting a wonderful shiver from Bella.

Mike and Jessica just looked on, their faces identical masks of shock. I mentally patted myself on the back, happy to bring out those reactions.

"Anyway, we just came over to give you guys this." She handed over a short silver envelope, her face smug. "It's an invitation to our wedding this weekend. You did promise you would come, right? It would be wonderful to have a Cullen at our wedding."

"Yes, I remember now. Count us in. We wouldn't miss it for the world." Sarcasm dripped form my voice but it seemed to go over Jessica's face because she just smiled and nodded her head.

"Great. Well we better get going. We have tons to do before the wedding, and it's getting down to crunch time. You know what I mean, right Bella." Once again, that damn sneer was on her face. The girl really needed some new facial expressions.

"Good luck with that Jessica. I know exactly how you are feeling. Just don't forget to book your honeymoon tickets with his credit card or you just might get stuck paying for a trip you don't even get to go on." Bella's smile never left her face but once again, I wanted to tear Newton a new one for hurting her the way he had.

"Humph. Well I guess we'll see you then," Jessica retorted, clearly annoyed with Bella's comment. We watched in silence as Jessica pulled Mike back to their table.

"Well that was interesting," Bella mused aloud as a satisfied smile overtook her face.

"Yeah it sure was. But you were amazing." I leaned in a kissed her cheek as our waitress finally approached.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to Forks Café. My name is Lauren and I will be your waitress. What can I get for _you _today?" Jeesh, not another one. What is up with these women today?

"Can I get a clubhouse sandwich with tater tots please? Oh, and a regular coke." I loved a girl with a healthy appetite; I never had to worry about my Bella ordering a small salad.

"I'll take a bacon and cheese logger and a Dr. Pepper." I was a healthy boy in need of some heavy nourishment.

"Sure thing, I'll be right back." Her not so subtle attempt at a wink was laughable but at least she didn't throw herself at me.

Dinner was definitely an experience. Every once in a while, the waitress would saunter over and refill my drink while ignoring all of Bella's simple requests. It was starting to get really annoying having to ask her for everything so she would do her job. Bella took it all in stride though, and was more than happy to cuddle up against me every time she came over.

After dinner we swung by her place so she could get some work done before Monday. We walked up to her front door and I pulled her close to me.

"So, will I get to see you tomorrow?" She smelled so unbelievably delicious, like vanilla. I wanted to kiss her, wrap my arms around her and not let go.

"No, sorry. I promised Alice we'd have a girl's day since you have been keeping me all to yourself. But don't worry I'm all yours the day after that." She gave me a reassuring smile and I held her tighter as I kissed her forehead.

"I'll hold you to that. Oh, and keep Wednesday open. My parents are throwing a barbeque and they want to meet you, as my girlfriend. Bring your brother and sister-in-law if you want. You know us. The more the merrier." I really hoped she would say yes. I tried not to sound too eager but I was dying to know what she'd say.

"Sure I'd love to see Carlisle and Esme again." She smile once again, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that she already had a good relationship with my parents. That meant a lot.

"You're wonderful, you know that." I looked down at her, her lips were unbelievably inviting.

"No I don't – why don't you show me?" The mischievous look on her face was back.

"My pleasure." I leaned down and captured her soft lips with mine. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Her hands went to rest on my neck, her fingers entangling in my hair. Her delicious lips parted and I took full advantage, exploring her mouth with my tongue. Her lips were delicious and I was not going to waste a precious second. Only when breathing became too difficult did I reluctantly pull away.

"Mmm, that was delicious." Bella's eyes were closed, her lips swollen. She looked fantastic.

"Yes it was. Goodnight." I untangled my arms from her body and lightly kissed her forehead before she turned around and went inside. When I heard the lock click into place, I turned around and went home. It was going to be a long couple of days.

**Thanks for reading! You guys rock! I hope you'll review. As always reviewers get teasers and virtual cookies! Also I have become a staff member for a new community. It's called Unsung Heroes: A Collection of Overlooked and Underread stories. Basically its a collection for stories that are good but dont get the love they deserve so they have 1000 reviews or less. If you guys have any stories like that let me know and SavageWoman and I will look into it.**

**Until Next Time,**

**Lorena**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: As per always, I own nothing. It's SM's world, I just play in it.**

**AN: Hey guys, sorry its been so long. I had to have surgery so I was slightly out of it for a few days. But, I'm back baby and better than ever. This chapter is dedicated to my hubby cause its his birthday on Saturday. **

**Also, I want to thanks SavageWoman for her awesome beta skills. She is the queen of the red pen. If you don't already read her stories, I hope you'll check them out. They are fantabulous. Woo hoo! Anyways without further ado,**

**Here we go,**

Bella Pov

I was officially late. _Crap!_ _I was supposed to meet Alice for lunch fifteen minutes ago._ _She was so going to kill me._ I pulled into the parking lot in front of her warehouse, parked my ancient Chevy truck and practically ran to the entrance of the warehouse. I threw open the door and went inside, my shoes clacking as I went.

I walked beyond the entrance into the area of the building that housed all the corporate offices. Alice was absolutely brilliant. Straight out of college, she won a design competition allowing her to start her own furniture manufacturing business. Alice's new manufacturing warehouse was massive; in fact, it was one of the largest edifices in Forks. She did wonders with the place and her business in just a few short months. It was definitely nice to see that pixie energy of hers in action.

I walked into the furthest office on the right-hand side and found an amusing sight before me. There was Alice, bent over her desk drawing furiously, swatches of materials all over the place. Her usually spiky onyx hair was flat and coffee cups littered the writing desk on the opposite side of the room.

"Alice, honey, what are you working on?" I prodded her shoulder gently, not wanting to startle her.

"Bella! Hey, I'm glad that you made it. Give me a few minutes and I'll be right with you." I hated to say it, much less think it, but my friend looked horrible. She looked as if she hadn't slept all night; her eyes had dark circles underneath them and her clothes and hair were in complete disarray. So _not_ like Alice.

"Alice, did you get any sleep last night?" I asked as Alice turned her body back to her work.

"No, I was struck with sudden inspiration. I'm working on a new line of eco-friendly furniture. You know using nothing but recycled materials, making furniture that is energy efficient and sustainable. There is a great demand for it and not enough products out there." Alice was talking a mile a minute, her voice slightly squeaky.

"But your furniture is already eco-friendly, Alice. Do you want to tell me what's _really_ going on?" Alice sometimes threw herself into work when she was working through a personal problem. It was her way of clearing her head.

"I know it is. But, it is not made of recycled materials. I want to have a line made out of recycled materials." She paused before continuing on, "I'm sorry, Bella. I must look frantic right now. I'm just a little confused."

"How 'bout we go to lunch and you can tell me all about whatever it is that has your head in jumbles." I grabbed her hand and we walked back out of the building. We drove to the nearby café and ordered before Alice finally spoke again.

"It's Jasper. I'm confused about Jasper," Alice said her voice calmer now that she relaxed.

"The guy who said he didn't like your furniture." The look of recognition on Alice's face told me I'd hit the nail on the head. _This was not going to be good._

"Yeah, the same one. He called my office yesterday and completely threw me for a loop. He apologized for what he said about my furniture. He said he actually really liked it, but he was trying to make conversation with me because he thought I was attractive. Can you believe that?" Alice huffed the words out before picking up another French fry and popping it into her mouth.

"So, he apologized and told you he found you attractive. What is the problem?" I asked, my voice betraying my slight confusion.

"He asked me out after he insulted my designs, Bella. So already, he has a negative because of that. Then you add in the fact that he is way too gorgeous for his own good; I can't afford to get distracted right now by the man of my dreams." Who would've thought I would ever be in the position to give Alice dating advice.

"Alice, aren't you the one who always told me that I needed to be open to the possibility of love? That I need to live in the moment? Well now I'm telling you the same thing." I wasn't sure if the expression that passed over Alice's face was shock or pride.

"But Bella, he already insulted my couches. And, you know me; if there is one thing that I just can't overlook is anyone badmouthing my work. You know how I am about my designs and my business. Harsh criticism I can take, but he just insulted them to make conversation. Come on, who does that?" Cue in Alice's stubborn nature. She crossed her arms across her chest and looked me dead in the eye.

"Don't think about it. Maybe you should give him a chance to make up for it." She wasn't buying it, but I was starting to win her over. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Ok." I paused, steeling myself for what I was about to say next. "How 'bout you give him a chance to make things up to you and in exchange, I agree to one Alice outing complete with a Bella Barbie moment."

"How about one Alice outing and two Bella Barbie moments and you got yourself a deal." I knew Alice wouldn't be able to resist, plus if she kept working herself like this to avoid a guy, she'd work herself to death.

The rest of lunch passed by rather quickly; we talked about my work at the hospital, Alice's new eco-friendly sofa line, the gorgeous Jasper, and, in true Alice fashion, she grilled me about Emmett and how we had gotten together. She laughed when I told her how I had assaulted him in the grocery store, but the look on her face was definitely one of pride. By the time we finished our meal, Alice and I had agreed that we would meet up at the beach later tonight and have a bonfire. She thought it would be a great opportunity for Emmett and Edward to get to know each other a little bit better.

When the bill came, I rose off my chair and headed to the cashier. I paid the bill and started walking back to the table only to observe a standoff between Alice and a tall blond man. He was about six feet tall, and had dirty blond wavy hair; he was clad in dark blue loose-fitting jeans and a white button down shirt. The look of slight contempt on Alice's face could only mean one thing – this was the infamous Jasper. He looked flustered and Alice looked like she was about to snap. They exchanged some words before Alice stormed off into the bathroom. Jasper looked positively defeated. His shoulders were slumped and his face looked crestfallen.

I walked over to him, placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Give her some time. She'll come around. It's obvious to me that you're sorry, Alice just needs a little time to get over it." Jasper looked up at me in surprise, but gave me a hopeful smile upon hearing my words. "We are all heading to La Push Beach tonight, if you want to join us. By the way, I'm Bella, Alice's best friend. "

His face lit up as he responded, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jasper Whitlock. I'd love to join you guys at the beach later." He walked away, his blue eyes just a little bit brighter.

*********

I was in the kitchen when I heard Betty roar down the street. I smiled to myself as I pictured Emmett barreling down the road in his Hummer singing along to the songs on the radio, his hands drumming out the beat on his steering wheel.

Two minutes later, I heard Emmett's distinctive knock at my door. I let him in and together we packed up the food I made for everyone. He lifted me up into the Hummer, his hands lingering on my hips a little longer than necessary, and we were off. We spent the drive to the beach in comfortable silence. Emmett put on soft music and reached his hand across the center console. He gently grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers; he rested our intertwined hands on his knee while I leaned against him for the remainder of the trip.

We were the first ones to arrive so we decided to set up camp. Emmett began unloading the supplies while I chose a fire pit. By the time the others arrived, the sun was just setting and Emmett had a roaring fire going.

"Hey Alice, we're over here," I called out to Alice who had just found Edward and a noticeably pregnant Rose. Alice nodded her head at me and started walking over to us. When she got to our 'camp,' she sat down on one of the lawn chairs Emmett brought and began picking through the bag of s'more supplies while Rose and Edward sat across from us and began warming their hands by the fire.

"Hello, Alice. How are you tonight?" All our eyes turned to Jasper. _I didn't think he'd show up._

"I _was_ doing great. Now, I think I'm in for a long night." Alice did not look happy. She was throwing an accusatory look at me so I plastered the most innocuous look on my face I could muster. _Maybe Emmett was starting to rub off on me._

"I'm sorry to hear that, Alice." Jasper paused, looking slightly saddened, "Thanks for inviting me Bella, by the way." Both Emmett and Alice turned to look at me, identical looks of confusion written on their face. _How to get out of this one? Hmmm. _

"Hey guys, this is Jasper Whitlock, he's a friend of Alice's. I saw him talking to Alice when we met up for lunch and thought it would be a good idea to invite him to the bonfire." I let out my statement in a huff my eyes downcast. I didn't want to face Alice right now. I could feel her eyes burning a hole through me.

"Well, welcome. My name is Edward, this is my wife Rosalie." Edward pointed out Rose before standing up and shaking hands with Jasper.

"I'm Emmett, Alice's _older_brother." Emmett stood up from his place beside me and gave Jasper a very firm handshake by the looks of it. I was slightly proud of Jasper; he didn't even flinch at Emmett's handshake or his size.

After properly introducing everyone, I passed out the food to everybody, and we all enjoyed a nice dinner and some conversation. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper got to know each other and realized they had a lot in common. They even tuned out us, _their girls_, for a while so they could discuss some television show about guns from the future. Once they got on that discussion the girls and I decided it was time to break out the supplies for making s'mores; it was time to lure them back to us using the ooey gooey delicious power of warm marshmallow and chocolate pressed between graham crackery goodness.

Alice pulled out the toasting forks and placed two marshmallows on each one; Rose grabbed the chocolate bars and started cutting them up as I broke the graham crackers into squares. We started roasting the marshmallows and soon enough the boys were at our sides showing us the 'proper' way to cook over an open flame. It was adorable, even if Alice was slightly resistant to Jasper.

We talked and laughed for a long while before we finally ran out of chocolate and marshmallows. Alice was assembling the last s'more when a couple bumped into her back causing her to drop it. She looked sad for a moment until Jasper offered her his. _How cute!_ She threw him a quizzical look before finally taking Jasper's peace offering. She put the s'more in her mouth but not before a drop of chocolate spilled onto the corner of her lip. Jasper reached across her face and very gently wiped it off as Alice closed her eyes and leaned into the touch ever so slightly. _That was our cue to exit and let them sort things out._

"Come on Edward; let's take a walk hon. I want to get my feet wet." As Rose got up from her chair, I threw her a pointed look and she gestured over to Jasper and Alice who seemed like they were getting ready to talk to each other.

"You know Emmett, a walk sounds like a good idea don't you think? We could dip our feet in the ocean for a while." I grabbed Emmett's hand and we began walking away from camp and away from the other couples.

Emmett and I walked slowly, the increasing tide nipping at our feet. We walked in silence not needing words. Emmett had his arm wrapped around my waist, my body molding into his. We walked in quiet solitude until we reached a grouping of boulders. With Emmett's help, I climbed up the rocks with him, and we sat down at the top to watch the expanse of ocean ahead of us. We just sat there, our bodies leaning against each other until Emmett turned my head to look at him.

We sat there in the dark night illuminated only by the light of the full moon. Emmett's eyes locked with mine, his normally blue eyes were smoldering. I was immediately dazzled. His hands wrapped themselves around my waist and he pulled me towards him so that I was sitting on his lap, our bodies flush with each other. My breathing stopped, my body burned with anticipation. Emmett leaned in, his face mere centimeters from mine. Instinctively, my eyes closed and I inhaled Emmett's unique woodsy scent.

Finally, he leaned in and his mouth devoured my own. It was intoxicating bliss and it sparked feelings I never knew I had. Emmett's fingers played a sensual melody as they moved down and across my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tracing the contours of his neck, up and down, up and down. He growled in response and pulled me closer up against him; our bodies pressed up against each other, passion igniting within us both. I felt Emmett's tongue sweep across my lips, asking for permission causing my breathing to speed up and igniting every single nerve ending with fire. We both wanted more so I parted my lips. As his tongue swirled with mine, we wrestled for dominance and I moaned into his mouth. I let my hands explore the planes of his body, feeling every muscle with my fingertips through his shirt as my senses blurred. Only when we were both desperate for oxygen did we break apart.

"Wow." Emmett pressed his forehead against mine, his eyes hooded.

"You can say that again," I responded as my cheeks flushed.

"Come on, we have to get back before it gets any later," Emmett said as he helped me climb down the rocks and we walked back to camp hand-in-hand.

When we got back, Jasper had left so we decided to head home. The girls and I packed all our supplies while Edward loaded them onto the car and Emmett put out the fire. After we were done, we hugged goodbye and headed home.

****

The Cullen's backyard looked fabulous; Alice and her mother had really outdone themselves. The freshly mowed lawn looked vibrant; the views of the forest were exquisite. There was a long buffet table covered in tantalizing food. This was turning into quite the affair. It seemed Alice had taken it upon herself to throw her brother a proper welcome home party because there were decorations everywhere. Emmett draped his arm across my shoulders and led me towards the buffet table so that I could set down the batch of strawberry squares I made.

"Hey guys! Okay Emmett, some of your friends from high school are going to be here, and Mom and Dad can't wait to see Bella again." Alice was positively beaming. She really was in her element tonight; she gave me a quick hug before dancing away to take care of one thing or another.

I shifted uncomfortably, crowds were not really my scene and I would hardly know anyone here. Emmett noticed my discomfort because he pulled me tighter against him and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry about it baby, my friends will love you."

Emmett made it his mission to introduce me to all his friends from high school. I went from one group of people to the next smiling and learning all about Emmett in high school. He was definitely hard to forget. I learned all about his humorous escapades, like the time he set the chemistry lab on fire for not paying close enough attention, or his infamous senior prank where he welded all the desks to the roof of the school and super glued all the locks. It was hilarious. For hours, we made the rounds, stopping here and there to sneak off for some time alone. Those were my favorite parts of the evening. Finally, though, as the party was winding down, it was time to reintroduce myself as Emmett's girlfriend. This is going to be different.

Emmett waved his parents over to us and grasped my hand in his. Our fingers interlaced and I leaned ever so slightly against him as Carlisle and Esme made their way towards us.

"Hey kids, did you enjoy the party?" Carlisle his voice calm but his eyes were twinkling.

"Dad, I'm sure you know Bella, but we wanted to let you know, before Alice did, that Bella and I have started dating." Emmett spoke, his voice smooth and steady.

"That's great, sweetie. I was starting to think that you'd never give me grandchildren." Esme was positively beaming. "And you with Bella, I always thought she was like a daughter. I'm so happy for you both." The horrified look on Emmett's face was priceless. His eyes were darting from Carlisle to Esme until they seemed to plead with Carlisle to lead the conversation in another direction.

I was positively mortified. Emmett and I had only been dating for such a short while and already they were planning the wedding. It was one of those situations that were funny, embarrassing, uncomfortable, and hilarious all at the same time.

"We are happy for you son," Carlisle said as a smile overtook his features.

After some quick hugs and more congratulations from Esme, we began packing up the back patio when we heard the thundering of a motorcycle outside. The sound of Alice's heels clacking on the stairs as she made her descent in a pair of tight skinny jeans, midnight blue camisole, and a leather bomber jacket followed the thundering. She looked positively adorable. As soon as Emmett spotted Alice he marched into the living room and stopped her in mid step.

"What in the hell is going on, Alice? Why is there a motorcycle outside?" Emmett asked in a strained voice.

"Jasper and I are going out for a late dinner. He couldn't make the party but he asked me to dinner and I accepted. Now move." Alice responded – her small frame steeled in determination.

"Jasper, you mean the guy you were being frosty to just _yesterday, _and you're gonna get onto the back of his ride tonight. Do you know how irresponsible that sounds?" Emmett was turning red, the large vein in his forehead throbbing. _Guess he didn't like the idea of his baby sister on the back of a motorcycle._

"I was wrong about him. He seems like a nice guy; I think I misjudged him." Alice's tone was confident, her eyes defiant.

"Fine Alice, you misjudged him, that doesn't change the fact that you are too young to be riding on the back of a motorcycle with him. Do you even know how old he is?" Emmett was pacing back and forth as he spoke, his hands making wild gestures.

"For your information, Emmett, I am a grown woman and what I do and who I choose to do it with is none of your business. And yes, I do happen to know that he is twenty-six. But what does that have to do with anything?" Alice quirked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Emmett, daring him to contradict her.

"He's too old for you, _that's_ why it matters." Alice looked positively livid, her usually composed features taking on a hardened look.

"Oh that's rich coming from you." Alice was fuming, her eyes steely.

"That is different," Emmett was reaching; he was digging himself into a hole.

"No, it's not; you're totally setting a double standard," Alice said, right before turning and resuming her trip to Jasper's motorcycle. I looked through the glass wall of the entryway and realized that Carlisle and Esme were outside keeping Jasper company while Alice and Emmett had it out.

Emmett made a move to follow her but I placed a hand on his forearm. He stopped, silently asking me why I was holding him back. I moved towards him and said, "Let her go. It's her decision."

"No offense Bella, but this is none of your business. This is between my sister and me." Emmett growled at me, his voice low and slightly scary.

"Now you listen to me, Alice is my best friend, and I completely respect her decision. She's a grown, independent woman and knows what she is doing. Secondly, screw you if you think you're not setting a double standard. You are 28 years old Emmett and I am the same age as Alice, so our age difference is even larger but that doesn't seem to bother you, does it?" I was positively furious, "Face it Em, she's a big girl and she doesn't need you protecting her all the time. She can handle her own."

"You and me – it's different. The connection we have is undeniable. Age doesn't matter." Emmett was getting flustered; his cheeks were turning a reddish color.

"Well, can't they have a connection too, Em? Why does age have to matter when it comes to them?" I was curious to see what he would say to that.

"Because she's my little sister, that's why. And, because a twenty two year old doesn't know anything about connections, and chemistry, or even love. She's just too young to be dating a guy with that much life experience, she can't handle that; she doesn't know how to handle that." As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized the mistake he made.

"Wow, Emmett, that's really how you feel huh? That a twenty-two year old _like me_ can't handle dating a guy. Cause that's what you just said, isn't it? You really are a damn hypocrite Emmett. Well you know what, that's just fine. This twenty two year old obviously can't handle being with you because according to you, I can't even begin to comprehend what love means. So I'm just gonna walk away now before you realize that; apparently, I'm not on the same emotional level as you are." I turned around and stormed into the backyard, looking for my brother. He and Rose were in the yard finishing some cleaning last time I checked.

Tears were pouring down my cheeks as I asked Rose and Edward to take me home. They draped their arms around me and we walked to our vehicle avoiding Emmett. Rose and I climbed into Edward's silver Volvo while Edward went to apologize to Carlisle and Esme for leaving early. While we waited, I sent Alice a text message asking her to call me when she got home. This was going to be a long night, and I wasn't sure things would ever be the same again.

**Woo hoo! Another chapter bites the dust. I'm so excited cause Mike and Jessica's wedding is up next. If you guys have any ideas for tacky wedding decorations let me know. Winner gets an extra special extra long sneak peak. **

**I hope you'll review. After all, Reviewers get sneak peaks before the chapter is posted and they get virtual cookies lol. Plus, reviews keep me happy, they are my chocolate.**

**Finally, I really hope you'll check out my other story Trial by Fire. It's and Edward/Bella story and Edward just showed up! lol I'm really proud of it and I hope you guys will give it a shot.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely close to twilight. I do however own a very nice new kitty condo. Maybe that way my cats will stop sleeping on me.**

**A/N: You guys totally rock! 50 reviews for this chapter! Can you believe it? You guys are freaking awesome. Reading your reviews totally make my day. A very special shout out to XxMidnightMoonxX for being the 50th reviewer. **

**Also an awesome thanks to SavageWoman for taking time out of her writing schedule to beta this for me. If you don't already read her story **_**Sleeping with the Enemy**_** check it out, its really getting good, I mean really good.**

**Finally, this is one doozy of a chapter, its over 7000 words. Enjoy. You guys deserve it for all the awesome reviews,**

**And now onto our feature presentation...**

**Bella POV **

The drive home was eerily silent. _How could Emmett have been such a hypocrite? I mean, honestly, he had to know, deep down, that Alice's situation was no different from our own._ My mind raced while Edward drove in silence, and Rose threw me concerned looks every once in a while. My eyes were red and puffy from the short time I had spent crying and blotches of mascara were running down my cheeks. What hurt the most was that I was really starting to fall for Emmett Cullen, and his actions had been more disappointing than anything that had happened. _I guess I just expected better from him._ As soon as Edward's silver Volvo pulled up in front of my house, I jumped out and started to walk towards my door only to have Rose stop me. Looking past her, I could see Edward's knuckles had turned white from gripping the steering wheel; a large scowl dominated his face. If I knew my brother, he was currently thinking of all the ways to make Emmett pay for making me cry.

"Look, I know you're upset. There is no getting around that. So, we are going to make you forget about it. I'm going to call Alice in the morning and we are going to have a day of pampering. We're going to forget all about stupid men for a day and just be us girls again. What do you say?" Rose asked her expression hopeful. Rose always hated seeing me cry.

"Sounds like a plan Rose." My voice sounded cheerful but my eyes betrayed me.

"It's okay to be sad, Bella. Don't try too hard to be strong." Rose wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me with all her might. _Rose was always trying to cheer me up._

Rose turned and walked back to Edward's silver Volvo. I watched as Rose climbed into the passenger seat and Edward pulled away. I gathered my arms around me before turning around and walking back inside. I knew exactly what would make me feel better right now.

I made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as I got inside. I went to the fridge and pulled out a big container of vanilla yogurt. I grabbed some honey and granola from the counter and poured it into the yogurt. It was my own feel good concoction. I grabbed my yogurt container and plopped down on the couch. I turned on the television and just cried. I had an hour before I had to get ready for work so I might as well drown my sorrows in yogurt.

* * *

"Hey girls," I greeted them as I arrived at Alice's warehouse. We had agreed to meet up here after Alice and Rose finished for the day so we could head over to Sanctuary Day Spa in Sequim.

"Hey Bells. We're all set and ready to go. Our appointment is at two so we better get going. Pampering awaits." Alice was practically bouncing as we walked out of the warehouse and headed towards her yellow Porsche. I was slightly envious of their energy when all I wanted to do was curl up with a pint of yogurt and granola, a warm blanket, and watch lovey dovey movies on lifetime.

We all climbed into Alice's car and speeded off in the direction of relaxation. We figured we had a long drive so we caught up in each other's lives. It had been way too long since we've had a day like this.

"So Rose, how are all the baby preparations going? Is my dear brother freaking out on you yet?" I was trying really hard to throw myself into this girl's day. But, I just couldn't keep Emmett out of my mind, and now it seemed like my life was falling apart while my friends' lives were prospering.

"Stressful. Edward is this close to being promoted to detective so he's been pulling in a lot of overtime. But, other than that, things are pretty good. We have the nursery all set up. We thought camel would be a good color since we don't know the sex yet. And now we just have to plan the baby shower." Rose was ticking off her accomplishments on one hand while the other affectionately rubbed her growing bump. It was an incredibly sweet moment that tore at my heartstrings.

"Oh Rose, that's great. You have to let me and Bella plan the shower. It's going to be fabulous. We'll make sure of it." Alice, always the bundle of energy, was practically exuding excitement at the thought of a party.

Rose agreed and from that point on, there was no stopping her. We spent the next forty minutes talking decorations, games, and invitees. She decided that we should have the party at my house since I was the only one that worked nights so I would be the only one with enough time to set up. Alice would buy all the decorations, send out invitations, and take care of all the supplies for the games. I would cook because, according to Alice, I was the best cook. All Rose had to do was register somewhere, but Alice made sure to include her suggestions for 'appropriate' suppliers of baby clothes. When we finished finalizing all the arrangements, I decided it was time to prod Alice for a little information on her date.

"So Alice was your date worth it?" I saw Alice's eyes widen at my question before a smile spread across her face.

"It was totally worth it. I really did misjudge him Bella. He was fantastic, sweet, and a total gentleman. He really might be the perfect man." Alice was practically swooning as she talked. I couldn't help the pangs of hurt and jealousy that ripped through me. It hurt that my relationship with Emmett had fallen apart defending their blossoming relationship.

"So what did you guys do? We're both dying to know." Rose was practically glowing. Pregnancy definitely suited her.

"Well, it was fantastic. We went on this long ride before we ended up at the high school. He was so romantic you guys. We walked up to the gym and he had this cute little set up. There were soft lamps here and there and a table set up in the middle. "Alice's eyes glazed over as she spoke and I was really glad that she had let Rose drive." So he walked me over to the table and we sat down. He pulled the covers off the plate and I almost laughed when I saw the Subway sandwiches. He was so sweet though, he got me a twilight sandwich. Can you believe it?"

Rose and I were laughing so hard. It was times like these that we realized how alike we all were. There was nothing sweeter than a man turning our favorite fast food into a romantic dinner. It sounded like Alice had found a real winner. Despite my sadness, I couldn't help but feel that this was the beginning of something special for Alice.

"That's just too rich, Alice. I have to hand it to the man, though, he really did do right." Rose was trying to catch her breath as she spoke. She was trying so hard not to laugh anymore.

"He sounds like a great guy Alice. Any man that does something that sweet is worth keeping around." I was happy for Alice; it was about time that she gave this guy a chance.

"Yeah you guys. I totally misjudged him. He was a total sweetheart about it though. He apologized about the whole comment incident. He sent me flowers and candy; he has been trying so hard to make it up to me. "Alice was positively beaming. She couldn't stop smiling and her eyes had that twinkle she got when she got a new idea for furniture.

And so on it went, for the remainder of the trip Alice talked about how fabulous Jasper was, how sweet he was, how perfect he was. It was great to finally see Alice so happy about something other than work. I don't think I had ever seen Alice this excited about a man. I don't think she even dated that much in college, always too focused on her work. All the while, I thought about all those times that Emmett had been perfect for me. Our trip to Seattle, all those days spent vegging out at my house, and all those kisses that meant more than any words I could use to describe them.

When we arrived at Sanctuary, I was so excited to be finally there. Alice and Rose had scheduled us for the full day relaxation package and I was really looking forward to a nice massage. A lovely woman in her mid-forties greeted us. She had long blonde hair tied up in a stylish high ponytail. She was wearing a white polo shirt and cream-colored slacks. She also had this aura about her – her mere presence was soothing.

"Good afternoon ladies. My name is Emma and I will be your personal beauty consultant today. We are going to start your day off with facials, manicures, and pedicures. After that, you'll each choose a massage, and we will end the day with one of our delicious full body wraps. Are there any questions?" Emma spoke in a calm and soothing voice. Just listening to her relaxed me.

For the next few hours, spa consultants primped and pampered us like princesses. We had exfoliating facials and manicures. We dipped our feet in luxurious massaging footbaths; we got pedicures. But, we were looking forward to the massages most of all. Rose decided to go for the pregnancy massage. Apparently, it was supposed to reduce backaches and swelling. I decided on the aromatherapy massage. And since I definitely needed some soothing botanicals, I decided to go with a lilac infused massage. Finally, we forced Alice into a deep tissue massage. Rose and I both thought that she was wound way too tight for an ordinary massage so she really needed some deep muscle work. The best part about the day was for a little while, I forgot all about my problems.

The sound of tinkling water running down a little fountain in the corner greeted us as we entered the room. The lights dimmed and when the door closed, all outside noises ceased. It was like being in our own little world. There were three padded massage tables spaced evenly apart in the middle of the room, made up to look like beds. On top of the each table was the towel Emma informed us we would need to change into.

Feeling slightly self-conscious, I turned my back to Alice and Rose and opened my robe. I quickly wrapped the towel around my naked body before I slipped off my robe and slippers. The towel was warm and soft and fell to my knees. Rose and Alice did not have the same qualms about being naked in front of me as I caught a glimpse of their naked bodies before they wrapped their towels around them.

"Ugh! My eyes, my eyes!" I joked as I walked over to the side of one of the massage tables and slipped under the blanket between a set of soft sheets. The bed was warm and I suspected the use of a blanket warmer. I immediately felt myself relax as the warmth surrounded me. I looked over at Rose and Alice when they laughed at my antics as they both slipped under the blankets of their tables.

Within a few minutes, there was a light knock on the door before a dark haired woman with brown eyes poked her head in asking if we were ready.

"Ready and waiting," Alice chirped happily.

One of the attendants walked over, stood at the head of my table, and smiled down at me. "Hi, my name is Leanne." I immediately felt comforted by the warmth in her eyes.

"Bella," I returned with a timid smile. I still wasn't sure about letting someone massage my naked body, but everyone I knew who had done this raved about it. I could hear similar conversations going on with Alice, Rose, and their attendants as well.

"Alright, Bella. It looks like you have selected the aromatherapy massage package. What fragrance would you like?" I listened intently as Leanne started to name off the different aroma choices for the massage.

"Oh, Lilac." I smiled at the memory of the wild lilac bush that grew on the edge of my favorite meadow.

As Leanne started to smooth the massage oil over my shoulders and up my neck, I immediately felt the tension in my body start to slip away. Her kneading fingers and smoothing palms seemed to push the last vestiges of doubt out of my mind as I surrendered to the relaxing sensation of the massage. I had no idea my arms needed any relief from the daily grind until Leanne started to work her magic. I was trying to stifle a moan of pleasure from the relaxing sensations running down my arms, when I heard Alice emit a loud groan of relief.

I should have known that Alice and Rose would try to catch me at my weakest. As soon as I was completely relaxed, Alice and Rose began firing off questions with their interrogation.

"So, Bella, you and that big hunk of a man, huh?" Rose waggled her eyes suggestively and I couldn't help but laugh despite the pang of pain Emmett's memory brought.

"Rose I really don't want to talk about it, okay." I really wish they wouldn't bring yesterday up. I just wanted to forget all about it and move on.

Alice spoke up next, her eyes closed as the masseuse worked on her, "Come on Bella, I know you need to vent about what happened yesterday."

"Fine," I huffed, "I'm not so much angry as I am disappointed in him and his actions. How could he have said those things? How could he have been so hypocritical? I understand he was trying to protect you, Alice but that does not give him the right to say those things."

"I totally agree with you. I think he totally screwed everything up. But in his defense, Emmett doesn't always think before he speaks. I'm sure he regrets most of what he said." Alice said her eyes never once opening as the masseuse worked on her back.

"I agree with Alice, Bells. Men have a tendency to be stupid when it comes to their little sisters. Just take Edward for example. Remember the stunt he pulled when he met Emmett the first time around?" Rose looked so serene as the masseuse worked on her legs, massaging away all the knots in her muscles.

"I know. I just can't help but feel disappointed and a little hurt at his words. I don't even know where we stand anymore. I don't know if we're together or if we broke up. I hate being in this limbo stage, where you fight and you're not exactly sure what the situation is." I was getting all worked up again and based on the huff the masseuse let out; I don't think it was conducive to my relaxing experience.

"Don't worry Bella. He'll make it up to you. I'm sure he misses you and is thinking of ways to win you back. He knows a good thing when he sees one. My brother isn't that dumb." Alice tried to assure me but I was still a little unsure. What if he didn't think we were worth it anymore?

After the couples massage and wraps, we headed on home. Rose had dinner plans with Edward and Alice had another date with Jasper. I, on the other hand, had a date with yet another container of yogurt before heading off to work. And to top it all off, I still had to go to Mike's wedding on Sunday. This was going to be one long week.

* * *

**Emmett POV**

_Insert foot in mouth much Emmett._ Jeesh, I was a world-class idiot. I shouldn't have let her walk away. I should have gone after her yesterday. Why did I let her leave? Hell, I should not have said those things to her. What in God's name was I thinking? _I made her cry._ I felt like a jackass. I knew I was being a hypocrite, but Alice was my baby sister. I just wanted to protect her. Granted, I might not have gone about it the right way and now I had to pay for it.

I had some major groveling to do at Bella's feet. Maybe I could have a plane fly around Forks with a 'Forgive me Bella' sign. Or maybe I could I could stand outside her house with a boom box playing every power love ballad known to man. I could send her a singing telegram or maybe send her dozens and dozens of roses.

No, those things wouldn't work. Bella was a woman of simple tastes. She would need something simple but powerful. _Okay focus, Emmett. You are an adult. You can apologize like an adult. You can handle this whole situation like an adult. _So what would be the rational adult thing to do?

"Mom!" I yelled out, hoping my mother could shed some light on the situation because apparently I was missing something.

I was a ranger. Rangers were always prepared. Rangers always had a plan. I had a plan and it was all I could do so I wouldn't go nuts. Bella was too good for me to screw this whole thing up. I was in too deep to give her up now. I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and the first t-shirt I could find scattered on the floor. I practically flew down the stairs and out of the house. I climbed into Betty and drove off, one destination in mind.

* * *

By the time I arrived at the high school, it was three in the afternoon. Damn thing hadn't changed much in the last ten years – that was Forks for you. I marched up to the front office and asked for Jasper Whitlock's classroom. After the receptionist gave me an appreciative look over, she handed over the information on a slip of paper. It didn't escape me that her phone number was also neatly scrawled on the corner.

I turned and walked out of the office. I quickly made a mental note of the classroom number before throwing the scrap of paper into the nearest trash bin. Hell, two weeks ago I might have slipped that number in my back pocket without a second thought. But today, I was a different man. It was funny to think that two short weeks with Bella had changed me so much.

I spotted the classroom up ahead and made a beeline for it. When I reached the door, I peered in and noticed Jasper hunched over his desk, red pen whirring over a paper. I stepped into the classroom and cleared my throat to alert him of my presence. He looked up from his work and stared me right at me. Jasper Whitlock and I needed to have a serious discussion before any groveling at Bella's feet began.

"Emmett." Jasper stood up and extended his hand out for me to take it.

I extended my hand and gave him a firm handshake as I responded, "Jasper." He motioned over to his desk. I leaned up against it while he moved to stand in front of me. It was now or never.

"What exactly are your intentions with my sister?" Better to be blunt and to the point than to dance around the issue.

"I see subtlety isn't your style." Jasper paused as we both assessed each other. I immediately noticed his stance. He led with his right foot and his feet firmly planted shoulder width apart. His arms behind his back and he was staring me dead in the eye. I'd bet money his left hand was clasped over his right. The man had obviously served. I didn't know what branch but I was slightly intrigued knowing a military man had stolen my baby sister's heart.

I retorted back, "Never has been." My voice was firm and steady. He had to prove he was worthy of my sister.

"Fair enough. I really like your sister. I am interested in dating her and seeing where it goes. I think she's smart, funny, and gorgeous. I'd be stupid not want to get to know her better. Granted, we got off on the wrong foot, but I assure you that was never my intention. I made some unwise comments about her furniture line but I like to think that we have moved past it." Jasper spoke in an even tone, never once breaking his stance. Maybe he was worthy. We'd have to see.

"Not the smartest move, picking on her designs. My sister takes those things to heart." I paused for a second gathering my thoughts. I needed to walk a fine line or Alice would castrate me. "Now, don't you think you're a little old for her?"

"I think I'm older but not too old. I can give you my word that I have you sister's best intentions at heart, and I would never intentionally hurt her." Jasper looked me dead in the eyes, his blue eyes stony. He was challenging me to doubt him.

"You serve?" _Eh, I was curious._

"Two tours to the sandboxes – United States Marine Corps." Direct and to the point. _Marines, huh?_ Not as good as the army but it would do.

"You understand if you hurt my sister, I'll hunt you down right?" He seemed to relax slightly at my statement. He still maintained his stance but it wasn't as guarded as it was before.

"Seems fair to me." He broke stance and headed back around to his desk. He grabbed the briefcase propped on the side of his desk. He shoved the papers inside and looked at me dead on. "Now, why don't we get out of here and figure out how to dig you out of the hole you got yourself into with Bella."

Damn it, it was going to be a long week.

* * *

**Bella POV**

The week had positively whizzed by me and I hadn't even noticed. I missed Emmett more than I cared to admit but I wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. He had a lot of groveling left to do. Although, I had to admit, he had made some serious attempts.

Thursday, he sent three dozen red roses to my house. While the gesture was nice, it just wasn't my thing. Roses were nice flowers but they just weren't my favorites. The flowers arrived just as Edward was leaving after he came over to make sure I was okay. We had spent the day looking at old home movies and reminiscing. He told me how excited he was about the baby and how worried he was about whether he would be a good father. I told Edward about my fight with Emmett and how much I missed him. I told him about work and how I couldn't wait to get my master's so I could start teaching. Before he left he told me that if things between Emmett and I were supposed to work out they would, in time. I loved him for saying that, even if I think Rose had a lot to do with that statement.

Friday, Emmett sent bouquets of purple hyacinths. I was slightly impressed that he had taken the time to send those particular flowers. It showed me he had taken the time to actually think about what the flowers meant; he was saying he had screwed up and he was sorry. After all, purple hyacinths after a fight always symbolize 'I'm sorry' or 'please forgive me.' But, I still needed time. I needed time to reevaluate how I was feeling. I knew I was falling hard for Emmett Cullen; I just needed to figure out if it was worth putting my heart out there again. I spent the day catching up on some work reports and looking over some old textbooks in preparation for my master's program. But, for a few short hours, I wondered what would happen when he left. Would we be able to make it work? Did he even want to make it work once he left? How did he feel about me? Were his feelings for me even remotely close to what I felt for him? I spent most of the night trying to figure out the answers to those questions.

Saturday, Emmett finally started getting it right. He sent me a text message that said he would give me time to cool off. That he missed me and would be waiting for my phone call. But, I still needed time so I spent all day with Edward and Rose. Rose wanted to get a head start on registering for her shower so we decided to hit every 'acceptable' store in Forks, Port Angeles, and Seattle and register. It was funny seeing Rose oohing and aahhing over baby clothes and toys while Edward looked like a lost poppy. He honestly didn't know all the things babies needed. We spent the day registering at various stores and Rose went about tagging all the things she wanted. By the end of the day, Rose had registered at six different stores and had added tons and tons of things to her wish list. But, we had honored Alice's wishes and refrained from tagging any baby furniture. After shopping, we went to dinner before Rose and Edward headed off home. I curled up on my couch watching the Nora Roberts movie collection on lifetime.

Now here I was sitting in front of my vanity trying to muster up enough courage to head over to Mike and Jessica's wedding. Since I hadn't spoken to Emmett in the last couple of days, I could pretty much kiss the chance of him going to the wedding with me good-bye. So, I had to steel myself and just go on without him. I didn't need him as my crutch. I had to do this, to show everyone that I was over everything and that I was happier without Mike than I had ever been. It was time to show this town that Bella Swan wasn't some jilted bride.

I squared my shoulders before walking out my door and climbing into my old Chevy truck._ Get a grip on yourself Bella! You can do this. It's just a wedding._ I jumped into the driver's side and slammed the door shut. I put my key in the ignition and turned it.

The ear splitting groan my truck let out before it died made me let out a sigh of frustration. _Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! _I kept turning the key and kept hearing this loud sputtering sound. _No. Not now. This was not the time for this. _I turned the key one more time but was taken aback at the sight of smoke coming from the hood of the truck. _I guess it was time for a new truck._ I had no idea what to do.

I could not go to the wedding. But, then everyone in town would continue thinking of me as the pitiful jilted bride and I was tired of the pitying looks people gave me after Mike left. I could call someone to pick me up, but whom? Alice was out of town for the day promoting her line and talking to some new vendors. Rose and Edward were off interviewing midwifes. Rose was planning to have a completely natural childbirth at home. Only God knows why. Angela was still not back from visiting Ben's parents for the summer. So, there was no one. _Crap!_ What was I going to o?

There was only one person left to call. And I hated having to call him. _Could I call him? Would he even want to hear from me? Have I waited too long? _Now that I was faced with having to ask for his help, would he take my contact as one of necessity instead of something that I really wanted? If I hadn't agreed to go to that stupid wedding, none of this would have happened. I rummaged around in my purse and pulled out my cell phone. I flipped it open and dialed the number, slightly hoping he wouldn't pick up. He picked up on the third ring.

"_Hello? Bella?" _His voice sounded hopeful. _Maybe there was still a chance. _But I would have to apologize as well. I really shouldn't have stayed mad at him for this long. He really was doing his best, trying to get back in my good graces. So, I would have to be the one to extend the olive branch first.

* * *

**Emmett POB**

_She called! She finally called!_ Granted it was because her truck broke down but I was willing to work with it. If I could manage to get her in the same room as me, I could begin operation 'Get Bella to Forgive Me.' I pulled on my gray suit jacket and adjusted the collar of my blue shirt before climbing down the steps and heading out the door. I climbed onto Betty and started the engine before making my way towards Bella's house. It was definitely going to be an interesting day.

When I arrived at Bella's house, she was still inside her truck trying to get it started. I honked my horn and watched as she opened the door to her ancient, rusty, red Chevy truck. I watched as he climbed out and couldn't help the lustful thought that sparked in my head.

She was wearing a greenish bluish colored dress that made her skin pop. It was long-sleeved and went to her knees. But holy hell what a dress it was. It clung to her like a second skin, showing off every single one of those delectable curves. Curves, I desperately wanted to run my hands across. She was wearing high-heeled shoes that made her legs look positively tantalizing and her hair was flowing freely in tumbles of waves. She looked positively stunning.

I jumped out of the car and couldn't help myself; I gazed at her completely mesmerized by her.

"Holy guacamole, Emmett! You look wonderful." Her eyes were alight with amusement, and I couldn't help but think that maybe we would be okay.

"You look gorgeous Bella." Bella's cheeks turned a sexy shade of crimson as I spoke. She leaned over and hugged me, her body pressing up against me. _Oh how I wished I could touch her without worrying about the dress._

"Em, I'm sorry about making you wait so long. I just needed some time. But I want you to know that I did miss you and I want to work this out." She didn't release me as she spoke. Her eyes connected with mine and I could read the sincerity in her eyes.

"I missed you too Bells. And I also want to work this out. I shouldn't have said the things I did and I'm sorry. But, in my defense, I did warn you I was no good at relationships." I hugged her a little closer to me, my hands securely placed on her hips.

"Fine, Emmett. You did tell me but that still doesn't excuse what you said. Now, I don't know about you, but I am not ready to give up on us just yet." _I loved a woman who told it to me straight._

I leaned down, my head mere centimeters from her and said, "Nowhere near ready. Now come on let's go." I couldn't help the laugh that escaped when she slapped me on the forearm right before I lifted her up into Betty.

Just a few minutes later, we pulled up in front of the church the wedding was supposed to take place. I was so proud of Bella for showing up today; it really was a good way to tell Jessica to stick it. I could tell this was her way of showing that stuck up Barbie she hadn't succeeded in breaking her. This was Bella's coming out, in a sense.

I dropped her off at the entrance while I drove around looking for a place to park. I figured since most of the town was here, it would be better for her to go on in while I found us a spot. That way she didn't have to walk from the parking lot in those shoes, my Bella's coordination just didn't go well with those shoes.

I drove around the block a few times without finding any spots. So, I decided to try widening my perimeter. I finally found a parking spot about two blocks away. It was a tight fit but I managed to make it work. I parked Betty and started heading back to the church.

I walked up the steps of the church and I felt my stomach drop to the floor. There she was, my Bella talking to that vile Mike Newton. I couldn't help the pang of jealousy that coursed through my veins, especially when he reached out and started rubbing her shoulders. I wanted to punch Newton when he put his hands on _my Bella_. But I should have known Bella wouldn't stand for that. Her posture immediately stiffened and she backed away slightly, just so she was out of reach. He had lost the right to touch her like that a long time ago.

They spoke in hushed tones I couldn't hear. The look on his face, though, told me it couldn't be good. He was looking at her, his eyes full of longing. It made me uneasy. They had been speaking for a few minutes when Mike leaned in and hugged her. He closed his eyes as he embraced her, his face set in resignation. I wasn't sure what had just happened but I fully intended to find out. Something in my gut just told me that something was off with him.

Bella turned around and walked over to where I was. She wrapped her arms around my neck, tilted her head up towards me, and said, "Why the long face, Em Bear?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sabotaging myself again. I just don't like the way Mike was looking at you. You want to tell what that was all about?" I asked, uncertain of whether it was the right thing to do. I guess this was going to be a litmus test, to see if what the boundaries of trust were for us.

"You have nothing to worry about, Em Bear. I only have eyes for you." She paused and composed her features before going on, "Mike just wanted to talk. He wasn't sure if he wanted to marry Jessica. He wanted to run away just as he did with me. But, he figured out it was time to grow up. He's still not sure if it is going to be forever, but at least this time he is going through with it."

"I guess I'll have to thank him one day. Because if he hadn't messed up so royally with you, I never would have been able to hold you in my arms." I pulled her closer, wanting to memorize her features. _Jeesh, when did I become such a girl?_

"He apologized, you know. Told me he realizes how badly he screwed up. And that he is sorry he messed things up with me. He said he really did plan on settling down with me and that I was good for him." Her expression was hesitant, as if she was unsure whether she should be telling me this.

"And what did you say?" My face was the very essence of calm but inside I was nowhere near as collected. I watched Bella's features carefully, hoping to gather something from her facial expressions.

"That he was too late. That I was much happier with you than I ever was with him." Her eyes were shining with joy. I knew I still had a lot of groveling to do, but at least now, I knew we were going to be okay.

I grabbed her hand and we walked into the church. The place was packed, it seemed like everybody in town was here. Bella and I chose seats at the back of the church on the groom's side. She seemed slightly more comfortable knowing we had an easy way out should she need it. But, once the ceremony started, I realized we wouldn't need an escape route. This 'ceremony' was going to be too funny to pass up. It had barely started and I already couldn't keep my laughter in.

Bridezilla was wearing a ridiculously tacky off white dress with a plunging neckline. Her back was completely bare with the exception on a thin scrap of fabric holding up the front portion. There were ridiculously high slits on the sides that went up to mid thigh and when she walked, the entire dress seemed to shift, exposing her entire legs. Last but not least, it had these ridiculous cutouts on the front that showed off her abdomen. It screamed desperate, and left almost nothing to the imagination.

If the bride was funny looking, the bridesmaids were positively hilarious. The dresses resembled something straight out of the Wizard of Oz. They were hideous monstrosities disguised as dresses. They were white and blue plaid panels covering the front bodice. The rest of the dress had layers of white and blue plaid fabric. But the tackiest part of the dress that the large blue plaid rose on the front of the dress. It was hilarious watching the procession. That is, until I saw the groom. He was wearing a hideous light blue suit that matched the bridesmaids' dresses to a tee.

Bella and I watched as Mike fidgeted with his wedding vows. He looked absolutely terrified as he pledged 'till death do us part' and slid the ring on her finger. Jessica, on the other hand, looked positively smug. Almost as if, she had done the impossible. And I guess, in a way she had. After the wedding, we all moved into the reception hall beyond the church.

As Bella and I walked in, we were completely flabbergasted by the decorations. _What had Jessica been thinking when she chose the theme?_ There were cartoon cats all over the room. Human size cut outs of Hello Kitty characters adorned the rooms. The tables had hello kitty heads taped to the sides and they marked the table numbers as well. The plates had hello kitty drawings etched onto them. It was as if the bedroom of a four-year-old had thrown-up and this was the result. As Bella and I fought the urge to laugh, we saw Mike approach.

"Thanks again for the pep talk Bella. It meant a lot. Can you believe this was Jessica's dream wedding? We even have a Hello Kitty cake. Isn't it just fantastic?" The wedding reception hadn't even really started yet and already he looked hammered.

"Well it certainly is something, Mike." I responded completely aware of the fact that even in his wasted state he was checking out everything on legs in this room. He really was some sort of tool.

The music started playing and I wanted to nothing more than to twirl Bella around in my arms. So, I grabbed her hands and pulled her towards the dance floor. But, Bella being Bella couldn't just let me lead her anywhere.

"What are you doing? Em, I can't dance. I'll just step on your toes." Bella sighed. She was looking at the dance floor with trepidation.

"You can dance with me, angel." I placed my arms on her hips and began swaying to the beat. "Feel the music and let my body lead you."

I allowed myself to get lost in the music, our bodies moving to the seductive tone. Bella was pressed up against me and as we swayed, the entire room began to fall away. Everything faded and all that was left was Bella and I, dancing to our very own beat. I locked my hands on her hips and lifted her up. As I twirled her around, her eyes closed and I was awestruck by the serene look on her gorgeous face. I set her down gently and immediately pressed her closer to me.

Pressing our bodies together so tightly, we slowly became one person and there was no telling where I ended and Bella began. I nuzzled my head against her neck and whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "Bella, my angel, I think I'm falling in love with you. I can't help but picture you in my future."

Bella sighed contentedly, "Em bear, I think I've already fallen. I'm just glad you're here now with me."

And with that, the music ended and we came back to reality. A reality that included a crowded room and a very angry bride.

**A/N #2: Woo hoo! You made it! There you have it. I know I glossed over the wedding and I feel kinda bad about it but this is a Bella/Emmett story. However, if enough people want it I will write a one shot extending the wedding and giving some Em/Bella interactions that werent included in the chapter.**

**I hope you'll review. Reviews make me happy! **

**Until Next Time,**

**Lorena**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Everything Belongs to SM. Although, hubby did buy me a new car for Mother's day! So *snaps* for my hubby.

**A/N: **_I'll make this short so we can get on with the story .I know I didn't send out a teaser, but I figured you guys would prefer an update as opposed to having to wait another two days for a chapter and getting a teaser. But there are good news at the end. I am so sorry I have been away. I promise I will never abandon this story, I love it too much. Unfortunately real life got the in the way and this chapter and the next was particularly hard to write. I really poured myself into these chapters. Almost every experience in this chapter, I have gone through and it was really hard to put it out there. Anyways, It's out and that is all that matters._

And now… Onto our feature presentation…

**Emmett POV**

As I came out of my daze, I immediately took in my surroundings. The wedding guests had formed a large circle around Bella and me, completely forgetting about the bride and groom. I looked down at Bella and noticed her face had turned a gorgeous shade of red, the attention obviously making her uncomfortable.

One look at the bride, though, let me know she was livid. _Guess Bridezilla didn't like it when she wasn't the center of attention._ Her eyes burned with rage and she looked like she was ready to tear Bella apart. Reluctantly, I released my hold on Bella and we made our way over to our table. Sleazy Barbie's eyes followed us as we moved back towards our table and it wasn't long after we sat down in those ridiculously horrific pink chairs that she descended upon us.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing? You're turning _my _wedding into a spectacle," Jessica sneered, her voice full of unveiled contempt for Bella.

"I hate to break it to you Jessica, but your wedding turned into a spectacle the minute you walked down the aisle." I knew I probably shouldn't have said that but I had just about reached my limit with her, and that was saying a lot. Bella looked over at me as I spoke, her face a mixture of shock and pride. Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched Jessica's face blanch.

"Whatever, Emmett. You wouldn't know good taste if it bit you in the ass," Jessica retorted back, her hands firmly planted on her sides.

"Don't talk to him like that," Bella interjected. She had clearly reached her limit with Jessica as well, and I really couldn't blame her.

"Looks like you finally grew a spine, Bella. But, it's a little too late. I already got what I wanted. And you already lost," she said, showing us the glittery new gold wedding band on her left ring finger.

"That is where you're wrong Jessica. You are the loser in this situation. You did me a favor by taking Mike. I am much better off without him. And at least, I'm not the one stuck with a husband who'll screw anything with legs," Bella bit back, her brown eyes fierce.

"You keep telling yourself that, Bella. If you say it enough, you might start to believe it," Jessica sneered. She really wasn't giving this up.

"Urrgh," Bella said clearly exasperated with the situation. "Why am I even trying to reason with a crazy woman," she said looking at me.

"Excuse me?" Jessica asked her voice laced with venom.

"You heard me, Jess," Bella said stilling holding my eyes with her gaze as she stood up. "Now come on, Em Bear. Let's get out of here before I really do something I'll regret." She paused for a moment before she muttered under her breath, "or enjoy."

I stood up, took her hand and we walked away. Bella held her head high knowing she had done what she had set out to do. She showed this town she was over Mike, and she was done with the pity. She could hold her own.

We walked over to Betty and I gently pushed her up against the passenger side. I was so turned on right now and I really needed to kiss her. Watching her square off with Jess had been one of the hottest things I had ever seen. I brought our lips together in a searing kiss and reveled in the electricity flowing between us. I lifted a hand to her face, gently moved her hair back and ran my hands through her silky straight chestnut hair. My tongue begged for entrance and I couldn't help the groan that escaped when she granted it. It was one of the hottest kisses in my life and I wanted more. But, all too soon, it was over. We broke apart our bodies desperate for air. Her face was flushed pink and I couldn't help wondering if that blush extended to other parts of her body.

"Wow," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"I couldn't have put it better myself sweetheart," I joked as I unlocked the Hummer and lifted her up into the seat before getting in myself.

We pulled away with huge grins on our faces. There was no way to ruin this day.

I was the luckiest man on the planet. Bella and I were lying on her couch, her body draped against mine. My hands were securely placed around her waist and my head was nuzzled up against her neck. I figured it was now or never.

"Bella, what I said earlier today at the wedding…" I paused, not really sure how to continue. I wanted to word this right and I had no clue what to say. "I really meant that you know. I really am falling in love with you. In fact, I think I've fallen hard. You really are unlike any woman I have ever met."

"Em bear, I completely understand. I feel the same way, you know I never thought that a relationship could be like this." Bella turned to look at me as she spoke, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Her hair was cascading down her back and I couldn't remember a time she looked more precious. "I never thought that I could just be myself with a guy. I never thought that a relationship could be this comfortable, this open. I never have to worry about making a fool of myself with you, I never have to worry about falling with you around because I know you'll be there to catch me. I never have to worry about whether I am saying or doing the right thing. I just am."

I was incredibly touched by her speech, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel like I was getting a little too soft so I rolled myself off the couch, careful not to bring Bella with me. I knelt in front of her and watched as a confounded look settled upon Bella's face. I immediately took my chance and began tickling her.

"Emmett….s-s-st-stop. It it-t-tickles." Immediately, Bella's hand went to her sides and her body shook with that god-dammed musical laugh of hers as she tried to speak. _Perfect, the mood had lightened slightly. _I wasn't completely ready for all the gushing of emotions quite yet. But, I knew eventually, I would be able to tell Bella exactly how I felt about her.

I stopped tickling her and waited patiently as she caught her breath. She looked positively stunning; her face was slightly flushed, her hair was mussed up and her eyes were alive with laughter. She looked like she had enjoyed our little tickle fest. Still, her appearance made me wonder what she would look like after a hot night with me. The image of Bella lying on my bed invaded my mind, and I couldn't help but fantasize about what would happen next.

"Em, hey Em….Earth to Em. Are you in there?" Bella sounded positively amused as she brought me out of my daydream. Her mouth had formed a sexy little smirk and her face was positively beaming.

_Damn it! Caught with my hand in the freaking cookie jar._

"Yeah I'm here. What's up?" I was slightly upset I had been pulled away from my fantasy but the real thing was always better.

"Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you were here. The movie is starting." Bella sat down between my legs, her back resting against my chest. I pulled her further back against me and wrapped my arms around her as the credits began to roll.

But our quiet solitude was short lived. As soon as Bella pressed play, my phone started vibrating on the coffee table. Bella reached over and grabbed it before handing it over to me. I glanced at the caller id and rolled my eyes, it was Alice.

"Hello." I played with a strand of Bella's hair as I spoke into the phone. I hoped this was good, otherwise, I was going to be really annoyed that my time with Bella had been interrupted.

"_Emmett, its Alice. You need to come home. Now!" _Alice sounded scared and frantic, her voice higher than usual.

"What's wrong Alice? What happened? Did Jasper do something stupid?" I swear, if that jarhead did anything to my sister, I was going to rip him to pieces.

"_No, that is not it. Please, just come home. And bring Bella. I really need my best friend. Please."_ Alice was begging – she never begs. _This is bad._

"Alli, just spit it out. What is wrong?" I was getting worried now and I was getting frustrated because I didn't know what was going on. My distress must have shown on my face because Bella started rubbing circles on my palm in an effort to calm me down.

"You need to come home, it's Seth. Something's happened and I just know it. Some men in uniform showed up at the door and they went into dad's study. You have to come home Em." I heard Alice's sobs as my stomach fell to the floor. _My baby brother was hurt._

My training instinctively kicked in. _Cool, calm, and collected._ That was the only way to deal with this. I couldn't lose my head. A part of me wanted to scream and rush to my sister's side, but I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me. I needed to do things calmly or people could get hurt.

The look on my face was enough for Bella. It was like she understood what was happening. Over the course of my mental pep talk, she had risen from the floor and grabbed my car keys. By the time I was finally composed, she was waiting at the door.

We pulled up to my driveway in record time. As soon as Bella stopped the Hummer, I jumped out and made my way inside. Alice was waiting at the door, a somber expression on her face. When I reached the door, I was slightly taken back by the sight in front of me. Alice looked so defeated; her usually bright eyes were dull and lifeless. She was slumped against the door, her small frame looking even more childish.

"Em, it's bad. I just know it. Why else would be here? I just want to know what's going on. I want my baby brother. I want him home." Alice collapsed on me, her body shaking with tears. My heart was breaking for her as she sobbed in my arms.

Bella immediately went into action. As I carried my sister into the family room, she went straight for the kitchen. I sat on the couch and gathered Alice in my arms. I heard the distinct sound of running water and something being set on the stove. Bella was either making tea or coffee and I couldn't thank her enough.

When Alice's tears subsided, I figured it was safe to talk. "Alli, it's going to be okay. Everything is going to work out for the best, ok. You have to be strong. You have to be strong for Seth."

When Bella came back into the room, she was carrying a white mug in her hands. She motioned for me to get up and looking past her, I realized why. In the hallway were two men I had never seen before along with my father who was holding my very distraught mother. The men were in their formal uniforms, and one of them was obviously a chaplain. They shook hands with my father before he led them into the kitchen. I made my way over to them while Bella hugged Alice and whispered in her ear.

"What happened?" There was no way my father would be that composed if Seth was dead. That was the only thing that kept me sane.

"Give us a minute son. We're going to set a few things in order and then we'll talk to you and your sister. Can you go wait for us in the living room?" Dad was speaking in an even tone, his emotions clearly controlled.

My mind immediately ran through all the possible scenarios. Had Seth been captured by insurgents? Had he been injured by a roadside bomb? Was he missing? Or was it worse? Was my brother dead? My head was reeling as I made my way into the living room, taking care to keep my face composed. I couldn't let Alli know what I was thinking.

After what seemed like an eternity, my father finally walked into the living room. I immediately stood as if standing would help me handle the news better and help me spring into action. I couldn't stop myself. I felt helpless, like I was in the middle of a warzone without my weapon.

"What happened dad? What happened to Seth?" Alice was the first to break the silence. Her voice was strained and she looked like she was desperately trying to find some semblance of hope in the situation. She clung to Bella as she spoke. Bella was her anchor, the only thing keeping her sane.

"His unit was hit by a road side bomb… He's in a hospital in Germany." Immediately Alice burst into tears and my dad's calm façade almost broke. The pain in his eyes intensified at hearing his daughter in pain. He watched, in anguish, while Alice sobbed and clung tighter to Bella. Bella looked at Dad and he was immediately at Alice's side being the rock he had always been.

"Everything is going to be okay, sweetie. You'll see. Your bother will make it out of this; he's too strong to give up." He was running his hand up and down Alice's back, soothing her like he used to when she was a child. His blue eyes were blood shot but he kept his cool. He needed to be there for Alice.

As I watched Bella and my dad comfort Alice, I couldn't help but think that this was my fault. Seth wouldn't have joined up if it weren't for me. I had pushed him into it, always telling him how fabulous my experiences were and the sense of brotherhood and family I got from serving. If it hadn't been for me, he would have never joined, and he wouldn't be lying in a hospital halfway across the world in excruciating pain.

As I reveled in my internal blame-fest, my mother walked into the room. She immediately came up to me and wrapped her arms around me. Her usually cheery demeanor completely crushed. Her caramel hair was ruffled as if she had been tugging at in an attempt to calm herself down and her eyes were red and puffy from prolonged crying. As I felt her press her head against my chest I couldn't fend off the wave of guilt that engulfed me. This was entirely my fault and there was nothing I could do to fix it.

I continued watching my dad comfort Alice. I couldn't help but wish that it was me that was in that faraway bed and not Seth. I felt hollow inside and to make matters worse I started thinking… what if it was me instead? Would Bella be the one in tears? Would she be the one that needed comfort? The thought of her crying over me made me feel even worse, if it was possible. But, getting injured was a real possibility in my line of business, and I was not sure I could handle Bella going through what my sister was going through right now.

Soon, Alice's tears subsided and we all gathered around the living room for the rest of the news. In the back of my mind, I wondered if the chaplain and commander were still in the kitchen just waiting for us to come to some sort of decision. My father stood up once more and almost imperceptibly steeled himself to continue with what he knew.

"It appears that during the course of the explosion a piece of shrapnel was lodged in his leg. Luckily, it missed most of the major arteries. While it was touch and go for a while, the army doctors expect that with some therapy he will make a full recovery. He was transferred to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and is stable now. We can all leave on the next available flight." The hopeful tone in my father's voice was just too much for me to handle. While I was glad that my brother was going to be fine, I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if he hadn't. How would we be able to cope? And then I wondered, if it was me…. How would Bella cope?

I needed a walk. I needed to clear my head and mull things over so I quickly excused myself from the family and walked outside. I was packed… I always had a pack ready to go, so when my family needed to leave, I could join them. But, right now, I needed to decide what to do about Bella.

The thought of Bella crying and in pain over me tore me apart. She was too good for that. But at the same time I cared for her deeply, probably more than I have ever cared about another human being outside of my family. So of course, when I saw my future, I saw Bella in it. But, tragedies and sacrifices are a huge part of military life and I'm not sure that Bella deserves that. She was too good a person to have to sacrifice when it came to love.

Breaking things off seems like the best option. While not having her by my side and calling her mine would eat away at me, it freed Bella for better things. It freed her to find a man who could give her all the things she deserved. She didn't deserve a life with a man who might not always be there when she needs him. If I broke things off, I would hurt her, but eventually she could find someone better, and she would forget all about me. Still, the thought of her with another man, stung like a bitch, and the thought of another man touching her made me want to punch something. Bella with another man might not be an option, if it means I'm in a permanent state of roid rage.

And what if I was injured in battle or during a training exercise? I had seen guys shoot themselves in the leg because of some idiotic miscalculation. Bella shouldn't have to worry about things like that. It would kill me to have her suffer at my expense, her body convulsing in sobs because of some mishap. My body stiffened at the thought. Bella in pain over me was not an option. My brother's accident had shown me that. She was better off without the constant worry of something happening to me. I chose this life – she did not. She shouldn't have to deal with it. Bella didn't need that kind of drama, that kind of worry, that kind of half-life. She needed something better. In that moment, as I realized that my brother had had a close brush with death, I knew what I had to do. I had to make sure that Bella never had to worry about her significant other being in danger.

I looked down at my watch and realized it was time to go back inside. I walked back to the house and went inside to look for Bella. I was going to have to do one of the hardest things of my life. Nothing I had ever done in the military had prepared me for breaking up with the woman I cared for. When I got inside, I looked for her in the living room but she was nowhere to be found. I went up the stairs and made my way over to Alice's old bedroom. That was the only logical place she would be. When I got to the top of the stairs, I noticed the door to Alice's room was open so I quietly approached and knocked.

"Come on in." Alice sounded a little happier now that she knew that her brother was going to be okay. It looked like she had packed in the time I was gone because when I entered, her bags were already by the door.

"Hey Alli." I paused momentary losing my nerve. But damn it, it had to be done. I needed to make a clean break; it was the best thing for all involved. "Hey Bells. You ready to go home? I figured I could drive you home before heading to the airport." I watched her face tighten before it fell.

_Shit! She knew!_

"Sure, let me just grab my things. I'll meet you at the car." Bella responded in a monotone voice. I could tell she knew something was up. _Howin the hell did I get so damn readable?_

No matter. I had to do what I had to do. And sometimes what I had to do wasn't easy.

The drive to Bella's house was incredibly silent and awkward. No other way to put it. Bella was fidgeting with her finger the whole time, her jaw clenching and unclenching. Meanwhile, I looked at everything but her. I could feel her gaze on me from time to time but I kept myself from looking at her. It was only going to make things harder in the end.

When we pulled into her driveway, Bella immediately jumped down from the Hummer nearly toppling over as she landed. If I wasn't about to break her heart, I would have laughed. That was my Bella – clumsy as a fool. _Shit! Stop thinking of her as yours jackass. You gotta do what you gotta do. No hesitation._

I caught up to Bella when she reached her front porch and dug around her purse for her keys. Every moment that passed felt like an eternity. I was letting go of the best thing I had ever had because I loved her. The moment I knew I had to let her go, I realized that I was in love with her. I was sacrificing my happiness for her; that had to be love.

"Hey Bella, can we talk for a minute." Her face fell ever so slightly and she nodded. Meanwhile, I was sweating God damned bullets.

"Sure Emmett." Bella clenched her jaw once more, almost as if anticipating some sort of blow. Her eyes bore into mine, and I felt like she was pinning me to the floor with her mere gaze. _Damn her power over me._

"Bella…" I paused, my hands were sweating and I just needed to get all this out. "I think we need a break from each other." My brain screamed. _Coward! _

"A break? What kind of break? What are you talking about Emmett?" Bella quirked her eyebrow at me, her expression puzzled. A huge part of me wanted to say _'Screw it! We can make it work.'_ But I knew it would not be fair to Bella. I had to do this.

"Let me rephrase that. I think you and me together is a bad idea. I think that it would be best if we went our separate ways," I spit it all out as fast I could and afterwards I felt dirty. I felt like I had done something wrong but I knew I was doing what was best.

"B-B-But… you just told me you were falling in love with me. How can you change your mind so quickly? Emmett what is really going on? What in the world has gotten into you?" Bella's eyes shone with unshed tears and I couldn't help the sick feeling that was currently making its way through my body.

"Look, I got caught up in the dancing and I said things I didn't mean. It was all an act, after all. Right? We pretended to be dating so you could stop looking like a jilted bride and get even with Mike and Jessica. If you ask me we put on one hell of a show." I wanted to throw up, I was no better than Mike. I had hurt Bella just like he had, I was leaving her just like he had, and now I was lying to her just like he had. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die at the pained expression on her face.

"You mean to tell me that what you said at the wedding was all a lie? That you were just pretending? How could you Emmett? How could you play me like that?" Bella yelled at me, her voice shrill. She flung the words at me like swords and each one stung worse than the last. Bella looked positively heartbroken. Tears were threatening to spill from her gorgeous brown eyes and she was clenching her fists at her sides. She was trying to be strong, and I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and kiss her pain away. But, that would do no good to anyone.

"Bella, we both knew this wasn't going to work out. I was leaving anyway. I'm just cutting our deal a little short." I tried to keep all emotion out of my voice and my face controlled. I couldn't let her know how much this was hurting me. I couldn't even look her in the eye. I knew she would be able to tell I was lying if I looked at her.

"Leave. Get the hell out of my house. You want a break, fine. We are through. You are no longer welcome in my house." Her voice was forced but loud and clear. She clenched her fists at her sides over and over, faster and faster. Damn she was livid. Her face was contorted in pain bu she was trying with all her might to fight back the tears shining in her eyes.

"Bella come on. There is no reason we can't be friends. We had a fun time right?" I just couldn't bear to let her go completely. Somehow, in the last thirty seconds I had decided I needed her in my life in some capacity.

"Friends. You want to be friends? You've got to be kidding me." Her voice rose, almost hysterically before she paused. And for a slight second I feared for my life before she calmed herself. "You Emmett, are a real piece of work, you know that. After Mike, I thought no one would ever be able to hurt me as badly as he did. But lo and behold, I was wrong yet again. What he's done to me and the way I felt about him were nothing compared to what you've just done to me. Probably because what I felt for him doesn't even come close to what I feel for you. So you want to be friends? Screw you Emmett. Now, Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. My. House!" She yelled, and with that, she effectively kicked me out of her life.

* * *

**Bella POV**

The minute Emmett walked out the door, I immediately collapsed in a heap on the floor of my hallway. I felt like I was being ripped in two. I wrapped my arms around my waist in a feeble attempt to keep myself from falling apart. He had been everything. In two weeks, I had fallen harder for Emmett Cullen than I had for Mike after years and years of dating. But, at least he never saw me cry. I promised myself after Mike that I would never let another man see me cry.

I cried for what seemed like an eternity there in the middle of the hallway. I didn't care. We had just gotten back together just to be ripped apart so quickly, it was unfair. This wasn't like last time though; last time Emmett had stuck his foot in his mouth because he cared about his sister, but today was bigger – final. This was the end.

I needed to escape, I didn't want to feel anything because my heart just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to float away and pretend everything was going to be okay. So I picked myself off the floor and went upstairs. I needed rest.

I didn't want to open my eyes. I wanted to believe that this had all been a bad dream, and that Emmett hadn't really walked out of my life yesterday. I pulled the cover s off my face and slowly opened my eyes silently praying that it had all been one huge nightmare.

I let the daylight invade me while silently cursing it. The fading sun taunted me, letting me know that I was alone in my misery. I turned over, looked at my clock and groaned. It was seven and I had officially fallen asleep for way over 20 hours. _What in the world was wrong with me? Oh yeah, the man I had fallen in love with me had given up on us. _

I rolled myself off the bed and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I needed comfort food and friends. But one-half of my dream team was gone and I wasn't sure even my best friends could help me out of this. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I wanted comfort and my family. That was all that was on my mind as I poured granola and honey into a new quart sized container of vanilla yogurt.

After I made my snack, I pulled the phone from its cradle and called Rosalie. I needed her to help me through this because, in the bottom of my heart, I knew I couldn't do this alone. I couldn't get over this alone. It seems the powers that be thought so too because she picked up on the second ring.

"_Hello?_" Rose answered in a groggy voice. _Had she been asleep?_

"Hey Rose. It's Bella. Were you asleep?" My insides were burning but my voice was firm. I couldn't loose my cool. Once Rose got here, I could break down all I wanted but not now.

"_Yeah I was just taking a nap. Apparently being pregnant isn't the bed of roses I thought it was. My ankles are swollen and my back aches but it will all be worth it in the end when my baby boy or girl is in my arms." _She was gushing now and I could almost see her eyes light up as she talked about the prospect of being a mother.

"Yeah I can't wait to be an auntie either. I am so happy for you and Edward, Rose. You really are the best sister-in-law a girl could ever ask for. But, can I ask you something?" My voice was starting to waver now, I just wanted to let it all out and cry again.

"_What's up hon?" _Rose asked, her voice laced with concern. I wanted nothing more than to just let it all out and have her comfort me but I knew I couldn't tell her over the phone. I needed her to be here.

"Do you think that you and Edward could come over tomorrow morning? I really need to talk to you guys." As I spoke, I flipped through the channels looking for something to watch. I was curled up on the couch with my yogurt container balancing on my legs while I desperately searched for something to take my mind off my heartbreak. I wasn't having much luck.

"_Sure hon. Is everything alright?" _Rose definitely knew something was wrong but I was glad that she wasn't pushing me. Her tone of voice was nowhere near demanding but it was soothing.

"I'll tell you all about it when you get here ok. I'll see you tomorrow." There was nothing good on tonight and I almost lost it when I saw that _The Notebook_ was playing.

"_Ok Bells. Good night. I love you."_ She was yawning and I knew she was probably dead on her feet. As much as she loved being pregnant she hated being tired all the time.

"Love you too sis." And with that, she hung up. I tried to hold it together as I watched the last scenes of _The Notebook_. It was going to be a long night.

**A/N # 2: Thanks so much for sticking with me you guys. You totally rock! I want to thank all my readers and reviewers for all the wonderful support. On a happier note, the next chapter has already been written and is in the capable hands of my beta. So, the next chapter is coming up soon. **

**Thanks so much to SavageWoman for wading through this beast and betaing it in record time, so I could get it out to you.**

**I hope you review! Reviews mean love! And of course teasers, and faster updates!**

**Until next time,**

**Xoxoxoxoxo**

**Lorena**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **None of this belongs to me. It's SM's world. I just play in it.

**A/N: **Thank You so much to all my readers and reviewers. Your thoughts mean the world to me. A huge thanks to SavageWoman for being her awesome " Queen of the Red Pen" self. Love ya!

And now…. Onto our feature presentation….

**Emmett POV**

As I walked down the hallway of the medical center in Landstuhl with my family, I couldn't help but think about Bella. The pain in her eyes as I broke things off haunted me in my dreams. When I fell asleep on the plane, her tear stained face was a constant fixture in my dreams. I kept replaying our break-up as I slept, and each time I died a little more inside. It was sixteen hours of pure torture.

When we got to the hotel, we each went our separate ways, agreeing to meet up in the morning to head over to the hospital to visit Seth. I entered my room and all I could think about was wishing Bella was here with me, being able to go through this with me, being able to rely on her like my mom relied on my dad.

_God, I sound like a pussy! I need to get over this._

When we finally reached Seth's room, I let out a sigh of relief. I expected to see a scarred and broken man in front of me. But, Seth was nowhere near that. While bandages covered his body and a sling was holding up his leg, he still found it within himself to smile when we entered.

My guilt ate away at me. It was my fault he was in this bed. I pushed him too much. I pressured him to follow in my footsteps and this was the outcome.

"H-H-Hey guys. I am so happy you guys are here." His voice sounded groggy and rough around the edges but so undeniably Seth. He was as tall as I remembered – a whopping six foot four with his dark black hair cut in the typical military crew cut.

"Oh Seth! I am so glad you're okay. I was so worried." Alice immediately took over, her nervous energy spilling all over us.

For the next hour or so, we talked about anything and everything. We talked about how much we missed him, my upcoming deployment, Alice's newfound success, and our parent's upcoming anniversary. We were making up for lost time and looking towards the future. He told us all about his time at Ft. Lewis, the things he missed, and his plans for the future. It was nice having all of us there as a family.

Once mom, dad and Alice left to grab lunch for all of us, I figured it was time to apologize. I needed to get it off my chest. So I steeled myself and let it rip. But Seth beat me to it.

"Ok Em, what's your damage?" He looked me straight in the eye, his face curious.

"Look Seth, I can't help feeling this is my fault." There it was out.

"How did that idiotic idea get into your head?" He was genuinely puzzled.

"I feel like if I hadn't pushed you into the Army, this wouldn't have happened. I mean look at you, you're confined to a hospital bed because a road-side bomb embedded shrapnel in your leg!" I ran my hands through my hair as I spoke, my guilt getting the better of me once again.

"Wow! Don't think so low of yourself Emmett." Seth sported a wicked grin and my face immediately softened. He was kidding with me. "But, seriously! Don't flatter yourself, Em. I joined the Army because I wanted to, not because you pushed me into it. I knew the risks, but it didn't matter to me. I wanted to do it." He sounded so confident as he talked, but I just couldn't let it go. What other possible reason could Seth have for joining the army than following in my footsteps?

"So why did you want to do it?" I needed to know why he had joined. Maybe then, I could really believe that this whole thing wasn't my fault.

"I made up my mind on September eleventh."_ Wait, what!_

"But you were just a kid back then." I was completely confused by his answer. He had never once mentioned anything even remotely close to that.

"I was walking into class when I saw it. My teacher had the television on and they were showing footage of the airplanes hitting the towers." Seth paused for a second, his eyes downcast. He was trying to control his emotions. "We watched that damn television set all day and all I could think about were those poor people. Those who had lost their lives. Those who had lost their loved ones. Those who were lost forever. And in that moment I knew I wanted to do something to make sure that something like that never happened again." When he finished, you could see the pain in his eyes, the unabashed truth in his eyes.

"Wow. I never knew that." I was completely flabbergasted. I remembered watching the news after the World Trade Center got bombed in ninety-three and deciding that I wanted to join the army too. I wanted to protect the people of this country so badly.

"Well now you do. So don't go thinking you have that much influence over me." And, just like that he was back to being carefree Seth all over again. I guess we Cullen men could compartmentalize with the best of them.

"Thanks Seth. That helps." While I still shouldered some of the blame, I felt a little bit better. I just hated the fact that my brother was hurt.

"Plus, they said I should make a full recovery and continue my military career. In a few years, I'll be an officer." That was my brother, always ambitious. I gave him a man-hug as the rest of the family returned.

We ended up staying for a few more hours before Seth convinced us to take in the surrounding sites while we were in Germany, but I ended up just going back to my hotel room. I didn't want to be out enjoying myself while Bella was in pain back home. I wanted nothing more than to fly back home, but I knew this was for the best. Being together was a bad idea in the long run. It was better this way. Eventually I fell asleep thinking about Bella.

* * *

**Bella POV**

As I watched Edward and Rosalie let themselves into my home, my defenses broke. As soon as Rose entered the hallway, I threw myself into her arms and broke down.

"R-R-Ro-Rose… he l-left , he just left. He said it was over and left. He's not coming back. He's never coming back. I lost him," I sobbed. Rose wrapped her arms around me and started whispering soothing words in my ear.

"It's okay, honey. Everything is going to be okay." She had started rubbing circles on my back but the feeling of hopelessness was just too much.

"What did that dickhead do now?" Edward had just entered the hallway and looked surprised by my little outburst. Still, I couldn't bring myself to lift my face from Rose's shoulder to look at my brother.

"Emmett broke up with her." The way Rose said it, it sounded so insignificant, like it happened everyday. But, it felt so much bigger to me – so much more significant.

"I knew it! I just knew it. That guy was no good. He's just like Mike. He was never going to stick around. What in the hell were you thinking getting involved with him, Bella? I told you this would happen, but you had to go ahead and do it anyway." Edward was fuming. I could hear it in his voice, he sounded ticked, and he was blaming me. That wasn't fair.

"Thanks, Ed. That really helped. It's exactly want I wanted to hear. You just made all my pain go away." I was being sarcastic and I knew it, but Edward was being an asshole, and right now, I wasn't in the mood for it.

"Edward, if you aren't going to help then just get the hell out. Your bitching isn't going to help anyone." Rose looked mad. Her perfect features were set in stone and the look on her face could kill a man without hesitation.

"I'm sorry, okay. It's just, I'm angry. My baby sister is hurting and there's nothing I can do about it. I hate not being able to make her pain go away. I hate not being able to make things better." Edward walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me before saying, "I'm sorry Bells. I wish there was something I could do."

"I don't think I can handle this, you guys. I really don't. I don't want to turn into some lifeless zombie, but it just hurts so badly. I hate knowing that he won't be there." God, I just wanted this all to end. I wanted Emmett to come to his God damned senses and realize that we were good together. I kept thinking about what I might have done, what I might have said to make him think we weren't right for each other, but I just couldn't come up with anything. It was excruciating trying to figure out what I did wrong.

"What happened before you guys broke up, Bella?" Rose looked at me, her face perplexed.

"What in the hell are you talking about Rose? Why does that matter? He stepped all over my sister's heart because he's a heartless son of a bitch." Edward was positively livid. His eyes burned with rage and he was clenching his fists at his sides over and over again.

"Calm down, Edward. I was asking because it makes sense. Now why don't you leave us alone while we objectively sort this out." Rose raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow at Edward and gave him a look that clearly meant _don't question me, just do it._

When Edward left the room, Rose immediately rounded on me. She guided me over to the couch and we sat down facing each other. She held my hand in hers and asked, "What happened before he broke things off?"

"We went to Jessica's wedding. Then we came home and hung out for a while." I didn't know what she was getting at. _What did this have to do with the break-up?_

"Did anything _special_ happen at the wedding?" Rose was looking at me intently, hey eyes boring into me. I have no idea what she wanted me to tell her or what she was looking for.

"We danced and he told me he was falling in love with me. Which is why I don't understand what happened? I thought we were okay until he got that call from Alice saying that Seth was injured." By this point, I was sure I looked completely bewildered. I didn't understand what the point of this was. How would reliving the worst day of my life since my dad's funeral help me get over him?

"And before that, was he acting weird? Was he pulling away from you?" Rose was staring right at me, her piercing blue eyes searching mine. She looked expectant, as if my answer would somehow make everything better.

"I don't even know anymore, Rose. I mean I was completely blindsided. I thought we were doing fine. He wasn't acting weird but he could have been faking it. He could have been psyching himself up to break things off. And then he began withdrawing even more once we got to his house and found out about Seth's injury." I threw my hands up in the air, effectively giving up. I didn't want to talk about this anymore. I just wanted to move on and begin melding together the pieces of my broken heart.

"Well then… Bella. That must be it." Rose stated confidently. Her eyes were shining and a smile spread across her lips. She looked like she had just solved some huge mechanical problem.

"What's _it?" _I asked back. I had no idea what Rose was getting at. What was she talking about?

"It's so obvious, Bella. He didn't break up with you because he didn't care for you. He broke up with you because he loves you." Rose said it like it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"Come again Rose. You can't be serious." Why would someone break up with the person they cared about? I didn't get it.

"Ok. Let me explain. It's obvious the boy is head over heels for you. You can tell by the way that he looks at you. It's obvious that he meant what he said at the reception. He didn't pull away from you afterwards, so he didn't regret saying it." Rose paused, for a second as she continued to gather her thoughts. She ran her hands through her silky blond hair and pulled it up into a messy bun, totally getting into girl-time mode. "Then when his brother got hurt, he back tracked. Maybe he realized that it could have just as easily been him in the hospital and you crying over him instead of Alice. When that happened, he got scared."

"Scared. Scared of what?" What Rose said was making sense. Still, she could be wrong.

Before Rose could respond, Edward walked back into the living room with a plate of sandwiches in his hands. He set them down on the coffee table and went back into the kitchen only to come back out with two glasses of water and set those down as well. Afterwards, he took a seat next to Rose on the couch and turned himself to face her back. He placed both hands on her shoulders and started rubbing them in a circular motion. I couldn't ignore the pang of pain in my chest as I watched Edward's display of affection towards Rosalie. I realized that Emmett and I would never have that.

"Scared of a lot of things. Scared of hurting you Bells. Scared of not giving you the life you deserve. Scared of not being good enough for you. It could have been any number of things. The point is, he got scared and he couldn't take it, so he ran away. And that means he's going to suffer." Rose barreled on, apparently not letting me wallow too much in my self-imposed misery.

"Rosalie is right Bella. He ran away. He doesn't deserve you. And you'll be better off without him." Edward's eyes were full of contempt for Emmett and I really couldn't blame him right now. Edward had always been there for me when I needed him, and whenever someone hurt me, he was the first person in line to get back at them.

"You missed my point, Edward. I meant that when he does come back, Bella has to make him grovel before she'll take him back. It's is only fair," Rose stated confidently. She was so sure Emmett was coming back but I just couldn't get my hopes up. I couldn't handle any more disappointment.

"She's not going to take him back. Look at the way he hurt her. She'd be stupid to take him back." As much as I loved them, I hated it when they talked about me as if I wasn't there. And, Edward really needed some sensitivity training if he was going to be like this with his children.

"You know, I am sitting right here, you know," I huffed, throwing my hands up in the air. I turned towards them and set them straight. "He's not coming back, Rose. And, there is nothing I can do to change that. Oh, and Edward, thanks for the colorful speech but I think I can handle myself."

"He's coming back, Bella. You mark my words. He is coming back." I wished I could have the same certainty Rose had. She looked so sure, so confident that I couldn't help but wish she were right. I wanted Emmett to come back. I wanted to be with him. I loved him.

"He's not coming back, Rose honey. He made the decision and I don't think he's gonna change it." And with that, Edward squashed the last of my hope. He looked at me his eyes full of love and a tinge of hope as he continued, "And Bella, I know you can take care of yourself. I just like taking care of you. You, Rose and the baby are my life."

"I love you too, Edward. But, you have to let me fight my own battles sometimes." I just hoped this one wasn't going to be the end of me.

* * *

**Emmett POV**

It was official… Bella was haunting me. I was unable to get an ounce of any real sleep last night. I tossed and turned all night dreaming of her, thinking of her, just plain utterly consumed by her. I wanted her, I needed her, I loved her, but I needed to let her move on. She needed to find someone who deserved her. Someone who wouldn't make her cry.

_Jesus, I needed to get a grip. I had only been apart from her for three days and I was already a mess. I needed to hold it together. I needed to get my head in the game and keep moving forward._

I walked alone down the lonely hallway towards Seth's room. Dad was probably still talking to Seth's doctors about transferring him to a hotel stateside so they wouldn't be too far away. Mom and Alice were sleeping in and taking a late brunch before they met up with us today. It seemed they were still suffering from jetlag. So, they decided to catch up on some sleep now that they knew Seth would be all right.

I rounded the final corner and noticed dad was already back in Seth's room talking to him about something, so I went in and quietly took the seat on the opposite side of the bed.

"So it looks like we'll be able to transfer you in a few days. Hopefully, no longer than a week assuming your progress continues at this rate." Dad's blue eyes were shining as he spoke and he looked genuinely pleased. I'm sure he and mom missed having us around and having Seth nearby as he recovered would definitely make them both happy.

"Guess you're a fast healer there, Seth," I said, happy that my brother was making such a speedy recovery.

"It's all in the genes, big brother, it's all in the genes," he said as he smiled and reached for a nearby cup of water.

"Yeah, yeah," I snorted back at him. I looked over to my dad and saw him staring at me, concern evident in his eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Em? You look like you haven't slept in days," he said, his voice laced with concern. His eyes were questioning me, wondering what was wrong, and I couldn't lie to his face.

"I haven't," I answered, hoping he would drop the subject.

"What's been keeping you up?" he asked in his doctor voice. I could see the wheels in his head turning, trying to figure out what could possibly be ailing me.

"Bella," I said, unable to completely hide the dejected timbre of my voice.

"You got anything besides one word answers?" Seth interjected, clearly annoyed at my lack of responses. I couldn't help it though. I didn't want to talk about it because nothing I said would make it better.

"Affirmative." The annoyed look on Seth's face was so worth my response. I was deflecting and they knew it but I didn't want to keep talking about this.

"Funny, very funny, Emmett. Now tell us what's wrong," Seth said, an irritated look gracing his face.

"We broke up before I left. That's all." Ok, I was the one getting exasperated now. I definitely needed o steer the conversation a different way.

"That is definitely not all because you're sitting here moping about it," Seth said, a smirk clearly present on his tanned face.

"I just realized she is better off without me. I can't give her the kind of life she deserves. It's just better this way," I said. It was obvious I wasn't getting out of this, so I might as well just let it all out. I didn't miss the peeved looks on both Seth's and dad's faces. Still, I continued. "It could have easily been me in that bed with Bella crying in your arms, Dad. And, I guess I just didn't want to take the chance that I would hurt her. I mean I chose this life for myself, who am I to choose this life for her too?"

"Jessh, Emmett. You know, you can be a total meathead sometimes. But, it runs in the family so I can't completely fault you." The look on Seth's face irked me. It was a combination of anger and sadness and it looked completely wrong on him.

"Excuse me?" Dad and I said at the same time. I was tired of sitting down, so I got up from my chair and settled for rocking my body while I stood next to Seth's bed.

"Could you elaborate please?" I asked a slight tinge of defiance in my voice. This should be interesting.

"Emmett, in your 'quest' to keep her safe from pain, you ended up hurting her anyway because you stupidly left her. Secondly, by leaving her you took away her ability to choose your life and instead made the decision yourself," Seth said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He had a confident crooked smile on his face and he looked like he had just solved life's greatest mystery.

"I have to agree with Seth on this one, son. I mean, I saw the look in her face; she really loved you and I have no doubt she would have chosen to stay with you no matter the consequences. But, you left her no choice in the matter; you made the decision unilaterally, and that is just asking for trouble. I hate to say it, but you really made a mistake." I was completely flabbergasted. Couldn't they understand that I did what was best?

"Yeah and you were a total coward." Of course, Seth had to have the last word. _Well we would see about that._

"No, I did what was best. Even it if was hard." I felt like I really needed to defend my choice. It was clear they didn't agree with me but they didn't understand my situation. They had never had to make a decision like this before.

"Paint it any way you want, Emmett. It's still cowardice. Trust me on this." There is was again. That look of anger and sadness only this time there was also pain reflected back in my brother's eyes.

"And how would you know that?" I asked. There was something he wasn't telling us, and I needed to find out what it was.

"You remember Angela, right? The girl I dated all through high school," he said, nostalgically. "Well, when I joined the Army I broke things off with her. That was the biggest mistake of my life." _Haunted_. That was the word for the look on Seth's face. He looked like a ghost haunted him.

"I thought you said things weren't working out and it was a mutual decision," dad said, puzzled.

"No, things were going great. But, I made the decision to end it because I thought it would be best for her." Seth paused for a second, his hand reaching out once again for that cup of water nearby. He took a drink before continuing," I knew deployment was inevitable in my field. I knew the deal, she didn't. At the time, I thought it would be better if she and I were went our separate ways. I didn't think it was fair for me to ask her to tie herself to a man that wouldn't be there for her."

"So you understand what I had to do." How could he not understand that I did the right thing? He did it too!

"But, it wasn't the right thing to do Emmett. I lost one of the best things in my life because I was selfish and scared. I selfishly made her suffer in the name of doing what was right when we both wanted to be together." Seth hesitated for a second, his eyes were shining but he wouldn't let the tears fall. "And, I was scared that I would get hurt and she wouldn't love me anymore. Or, that she wouldn't be able to wait for me. We had never been apart before that so I wasn't sure if we could handle it. And now, I'll never know."

"But, she's happy now right?" Would I feel better, if I knew Bella would get over me? Or, would the thought of her with another man continue to drive me nuts for all eternity.

"I don't know Emmett. I haven't really had the time to check. The point is she could have been happy with me. I gave up, Emmett. Let's face it – _we_ gave up. We didn't give our relationships a chance. And, what does that say about our faith in them." _Ouch._ He had a point there. I was not only giving up; I was also telling her that what we had wasn't strong enough, that she wasn't strong enough. I was an idiot.

"Are you going to do anything about it now?" I asked running my hand over my head. I was anxious to hear his response. In this moment, my brother seemed wise beyond his years.

"Yeah. If I learned anything from this injury, it's that anything can happen at any moment. Life is never straightforward and it is much too short. So, I'm going to make the best of it and live my life as happy as I can be. And that means that as soon as I get home, I'm going to give her these letters and hope she takes me back." He looked determined and he pulled the stack of letters on his nightstand towards him. I had noticed those yesterday but hadn't really thought much about them.

"What are those?" dad asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Letters. I wrote her one for every day we were apart. I wrote one for every day of my deployment before the accident. Sometimes, I even wrote two. Writing these was one of the things that kept me going. And somewhere along the way I realized that I couldn't live without her." Seth's voice was so full of love and adoration when she spoke about her that it was heartbreaking. Even now, two years later he still carried a torch for Angela.

"I've only been apart from Bella for three days but already I feel like a part of me is missing," I said. I could finally understand what my brother was saying. I understood what he meant by saying it was mistake. I understood why I was being a coward. However, it was too late – the damage was done.

"Then what are you waiting for Em. You can't let her get away." Seth motioned to the door with his hands. Dad had an expectant look on his face. They were waiting for me to make a move.

"It's too late. I already broke things off and my place is here with my family," I said, resigned to my fate. Plus, there was no way Edward was going to let me near her anyway. He was probably thinking of ways to kill me as painfully as possible right now.

"Excuses, excuses!" Seth yelled clearly frustrated with my lack of action. But, I really did not see a resolution to this. "Stop being a coward and start acting like the soldier that you are. A soldier never accepts defeat. A soldier never gives up. And, a Ranger always completes his mission. Is that clear?"

"Hooah," I responded. Seth should have been a motivational speaker.

"Now go get her," Seth stated and that was all there was to it.

"He's right, Emmett. You have to do what makes you happy." Always the voice of reason. That was dad, but I was glad Seth had pushed me. I needed a push or a shove in the right direction. Now that I had it, there was no going back.

And, with that, I left. I turned around and walked back to my future. I had been an idiot and I knew it. I had been a coward and I knew it. But, now I knew better. I knew my mission and no matter what I would complete it. I would not give up. I would not accept defeat. I only hoped Bella hadn't given up on me yet.

**Thanks again so much for all the love and support you guys have shown me and this story. You guys really are the best. **

**Reviews make me happy! And reviewers get teasers for upcoming chapters. The next chapter is almost done so keep a look out for that. **

**Also, I got this idea for a serial killer story where Em is a FBI agent… so add me to your author alerts if you want to know when it comes out. The plot bunny just wont leave me alone.**

**And finally…. A shout out goes out to BritCat-Twilight lover this week. I recently read a couple of her stories this last week and really enjoyed them. Check them out if you have the chance.**

**Until next time,**

**Lorena**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing…. It's SM's world I just play in it.**

**A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner. It has been a really difficult month for me to get through. I have been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately and getting ready for hubby's big return and promotion… Anyways…. I'm sorry and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Emmett POV**

As soon as I left the hospital, I went to the one person who could help me fix the ungodly mess I had created. I knew Alice was going to rip me a new one, but I desperately needed her expertise. She probably knew Bella better than anyone and, as such, would have intel crucial to the success of my mission.

I entered the massive hotel and mentally braced myself for the onslaught of fury I was about to experience. The bright and cheery atmosphere of the illuminated lobby mocked my stupidity as I hurried towards Alice's room.

A few short minutes later, I hesitantly knocked on Alice's door. I could handle just about anything, but my current feelings of guilt over Bella combined with Alice's rage were not going to be pretty. In fact, it was going to be downright ugly.

Alice opened the door and ushered me inside. I took a seat in one of the white chairs in the corner of the room, prompted my elbows on the adjacent table and dropped my head in my hands. Alice sat down in the seat across from me and just stared. She knew I needed to get something off my chest; she always knew things before anyone. Her silvery eyes bore into me and I visibly shifted in my seat. I didn't want to tell her how bad I had screwed up but if I didn't it would be worse.

"I screwed up, Alli. I mean royally screwed up," I said, having no other way to put it. I mentally braced myself for the onslaught of her rage, but I knew I deserved everything she threw at me.

"What did you do, Emmett?" Alice asked, her silver eyes narrowing. I could see the wheels in her head turning as her face hardened into a mask of fury. _Damn psychic pixie. She knew what I had done. I could never keep anything from her._

"I broke things off with Bella," I answered, unable to meet her eyes. I couldn't bear to see the disappointment reflected in them.

Immediately Alice sprung out of her seat and lunged at me, clenching my shirt in her tiny little fists, "Damn it, Emmett! How much of a complete douche bag could you be? I trusted you with her. I trusted you not to be like the other jackass she had the misfortune of being engaged to. But, no! You had to go and pull this. I could just punch you right now." Her body was shaking with rage and I could see that she was physically restraining herself from going apeshit on my ass.

"I get it Alice. I completely effed everything up. I hurt her and I did it because I was a selfish jack off. I get it. But, I don't need you to ream me about it. I'm doing enough of that myself. I need you to help me fix this." For the first time in my life, I was pleading, really pleading for something. Alice's eyes softened for a fraction of a second before they hardened once more.

"I'm not sure you can even fix this Emmett. You hurt her and you totally messed with her heart. How is she supposed to trust you with it a second time?" She asked, her face softening just the tiniest bit. She sat sown again and set her hands on the table anxiously awaiting my response.

"You're right. She has no reason to trust me. She doesn't even have a valid reason to listen to me. But, I know that I can't give up. I might be somewhat stupid but I have learned my lesson. I shouldn't have made a decision that drastic without talking to her. And I will do anything to prove that I care about her, and that I didn't mean what I said to her before." I looked at Alice expectantly.

"What exactly did you say to her Emmett?" Alice asked her voice tight and controlled.

_Shit! I hadn't told Alice what I had said to Bella._

I hung my head in shame unable to meet her eyes as I uttered, "That we were just pretending and that I didn't mean it when I said that I was falling in love with her. And of course there was the whole we put on one hell of a show comment." In retrospect, I said some pretty harsh things. I wasn't thinking about it at the time, I thought they were necessary. But now, looking back, I was disgusted that I said those particular things to her. I probably dredged up some unpleasant memories.

_I guess hindsight really was 20/20._

"Oh! Emmett, you are royally screwed! You honestly expect her to forgive you after that? Heck, I'm ashamed to call you my brother right now. How could you say that after what she went through with Mike? He lied to her and pretended to love her while he was doing the horizontal mambo with another woman. And then you go and tell her you pretended to care about her too. How idiotic can you get?" Alice huffed throwing her hands up in the air. She stood up once again and started pacing once more, "God, Emmett, I honestly don't even know what you could do to get her to take you back."

"I still have to try, Alice." I paused for a second, standing up from the chair and turning to face Alice. "I won't give her up without a fight. I need to get her back. I love her Alice. And I can't imagine my future without her."

"Have you told her that?" Alice asked, raising her perfectly sculpted right eyebrow at me.

"Not yet, but I will. If I have to grovel to get her back first, then I that's what I'll do," I responded. I turned away from her and began walking out to pick up my stuff before heading to the airport. Being military definitely had its advantages, "Now are you coming with me or are you going to let me figure this out on my own?"

"Meet you in the lobby in ten. If I let you do this on your own, you'll probably just screw up things worse," Alice stated confidently before closing the door behind me.

I hurried over to my hotel room and started packing my things. All the while, Alice's words rang in my head. I had been such an idiot. Not only that I had pulled a bitch move, I had left when things got too difficult. Alice was right and I was ashamed of what I had done. Bella didn't deserve what I dished out to her. But, I had to make things better. I had to prove that I loved her more than any other man ever could.

Alice was giving me the silent treatment. That was certain. She had refused to talk to me on the way to the airport. And she spent the entire plane trip either asleep or listening to her Zune. Every time I would try to talk to her, she would just brush me off and go back to whatever she was doing.

Now that we were home, it had to stop. It was Thursday evening and I wanted to go over to Bella's and talk to her. But, I had no idea how to approach. I needed Alice. I walked towards the living room and sat down in the chair opposite her. Hopefully, she would talk to me.

"What is going on Alli? Why won't you talk to me?" I asked after she had removed her headphones.

"Because I'm a little confused at the moment, okay Emmett." She paused as she wrapped her headphones around her Zune and put it on the coffee table beside her. "You are my brother and I love you. But, your actions were just appalling. And as much as I want to help you, Bella is my best friend. I can't in good conscience help you without talking to her first.

Alice paused and sadly shook her head at me before she continued, "Em, because of what you did and when you did it, I couldn't help out a friend in need. If I had known what you did, I could have at least called her. I could have been here for her. But, you took that choice away from me too when you kept it from everyone. I am so mad at you right now Emmett. I'm not even sure I should help you."

"Why aren't you sure you can help me?" I wasn't sure that I could do this without her. Alice was staring at me, her face calm. She had really thought about it.

"Because, Emmett. I'm still out to lunch on whether you are good for her. After this stunt and your total lack of disregard for her feelings, I'm just not so sure anymore. You took away her right to make her own decisions and did what _you_ thought was best, never asking her what she wanted. That's wrong, Emmett. How is she supposed to be with someone who treats her like that? I don't even know how Bella feels about all this. But, I want to make one thing clear. I love you; but, because of your actions I am Bella's friend first and your helper second. Got it?"

"Yeah I got it," I said. I was upset, but I understood her motives. I guess my actions had really alienated a lot of people.

I nodded at Alice and started to head off to bed when I heard the doorbell ring. _Who in God's name could that be? _I walked into the hallway and headed for the door. Through the massive glass windows, I saw a police cruiser. _Crap! There was only one person it could be._

I opened the door and came to face with one Edward Swan. _Could today get any worse?_ Edward looked pissed. His face contorted in rage and he looked like he was out for blood. _My blood. It looked like today was going to get worse._

"You sick, twisted, son of a…," Edward said as he lunged at me. He caught me off guard and started swinging at me. Instinctively, my training kicked in. I needed to defend myself. I started blocking his blows taking the time to swing right back. If he wanted a fight, then damn it, he was going to get one hell of a fight.

"I'm going to hurt you, just like you hurt my baby sister." Immediately, I froze. _I deserved this. I deserved every punch he threw at me._ I stopped fighting. I deserved this beat down. I deserved to hurt just like I had hurt her. Hell, if Jasper had done what I did to my sister, I would have hunted him down too. I couldn't fault Edward for what he was doing.

"I trusted you," He growled as he landed a right underhanded blow to my torso.

"Oomph." At least he threw a decent punch.

"I trusted you with her heart and you smashed it to pieces." He hit me with left hook to the jaw.

"Ugh." It hurt like hell, but I deserved every bit of it and more.

"Now, I am going to smash you to pieces," he said, as he landed one last hit to my torso. I had to hand to it the man. He was strong. And he definitely knew how to throw a punch. I toppled back and accidentally bumped into one of the hallway tables. The force of my collision knocked over one of mom's antique vases. _Damn it!_

"What the heck is going on here?" I guess Alice heard the commotion. She was standing four feet away from us, her black Zune in her hand and her headphones dangling from her neck.

"I was showing your brother here what happens when he hurts my little sister," Edward huffed as he wiped the thin sheen of sweat that had developed on his brow. I reached up and wiped my face off too. When I looked down at my hand, I noticed there was blood on it.

"Well, you can stop now. I think he got the message. And apparently so will our mother," Alice said as she gestured at the now broken vase.

"It's okay, Alice. This is between us, and we all I know I deserve what I'm getting," I said as I continued to wipe the blood off my face.

"No, it is not okay. Mom wouldn't want you fighting in her hallway. And Edward, does Bella know you are here?" Alice asked as she looked at Edward, her left hand resting on her hip.

"She doesn't need to know I'm here. And she definitely doesn't need to know that this piece of crap is here either." Edward looked better now. He didn't look like he wanted to kill me slowly and painfully anymore. Now he looked like he wanted to kill me quickly and bury the body somewhere. _At least we were making progress._

"I'm sure she would see it that way too, Edward," Alice bit back, her sarcastic nature getting the best of her. "Now, you have some things to work out, I get it. But do it like _real _men. I don't want another casualty." With that, she turned and went upstairs.

"I don't want you anywhere near my sister. I want you to leave before you hurt her any worse," Edward commanded. His face was hard as stone and he was staring me dead in the eye. _He was trying to intimidate me._

"I can't do that. I love your sister and I'm here to get her back." _I will not give up. I will not accept defeat. I will complete my mission. I could not fail. My life and my happiness hinged on me succeeding._

"Yes you can. And yes, you will. You have already hurt her. You have already left her. I refuse to let it happen again." Edward took a step towards me but I refused to move. He had already had his shot at me. This time, I was not backing down no matter what.

"Look, I get I was an idiot before. I effed up and now I am going to fix it." I wasn't about to admit everything but I couldn't let him keep me from Bella. I motioned to the living room but he just shook his head at me. Guess he didn't want to sit down.

"How the hell do you plan on doing that?" Edward scoffed at me.

_The cocky bastard scoffed at me!_

"I have a plan," I responded, just as snidely as he did.

"She's too good for you." Edward took yet another step towards me." And you don't deserve her. You are no better than Mike." _Ouch, but I deserved that._

"I know that. I know I don't deserve her. But, I love her." I crossed my arms across my chest and stood my ground. I was not going to let him get to me.

"Is that how you show your love? By, leaving her to pick up the pieces after you break her heart. 'Cause last time I checked that wasn't love. It was just sick," Edward responded as his face once again contorted into a mask of rage.

"Look, I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't either if I were in your shoes. But, I love your sister. And I am going to spend as much time as I have to in order to prove that to her. Furthermore, I can promise you two things. First, no one will ever love your sister as much as I do. And second, I will not ever intentionally hurt her for as long as I live." Now, all I had to do was prove that to Bella. I relaxed a little when Edward took a step back and looked at me almost as if he was measuring me up.

"I don't trust you. But, I know I can't stop you from trying. All I can hope for is that my sister makes the right choice and tells you to go screw yourself." He ran a hand through his messy hair before continuing, "But, know this. If you ever hurt her again, I will hunt you down. And I will make you pay."

"Fair enough," I said as I extended my hand. He didn't take it. He just turned around and walked out my door. _Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought._

It was Friday morning. And time was running out. I needed to talk to Bella and explain what happened. I needed to find a way to get her to listen to me. I was a jackass and a fool and I only hoped that she hadn't given up on me yet.

I walked over to Alice's room and knocked on the door, hoping she was already awake. "Alice?" I spoke to the door hoping Alice would wake up. If this was ever going to work, we needed to formulate a game plan.

"Yeah?" I heard Alice's groggy voice on the other side of the door and I couldn't help but smile. While my little sister had always been a bundle of energy, I liked her best in the early morning hours when she wasn't quite as strung out as usual.

"Alli, we need to talk. Can you please open the door?" I wondered how her conversation with Bella had turned out. As soon as Edward had left, Alice had gone upstairs to phone her. What was supposed to be an 'I'm home and I'm here if you need me' conversation turned into a three hour long phone conversation.

After some rustling, Alice finally opened the door. She looked sleepy as hell, her hair was unusually messy, and her bright pink pajamas burned my eyes this early in the morning.

"So, what did she say?" I asked, hoping she would give me some insight into where I stood with Bella. I nervously stuck my hands in the pockets of my green flannel pajama pants and hoped to hell Alice would tell me I still stood a fighting chance.

"I'm not going to tell you anything Emmett," she said as she rolled her eyes. "But, I can tell you that you are on your own buddy. I can't help you. You need to do this on your own." She looked a little sad when she said the last sentence, almost as if she thought I was fighting a losing battle.

"Do I have a shot Alice? At least tell me that," I pleaded with her. For the first time in my life, I felt lost and confused. Still, no matter what, I needed to talk to Bella.

"I don't know, Em. I really don't know." Alice said as she closed the door on me, leaving me to try and find a way to pull myself out of the massive hole I had dug myself into.

* * *

**Bella POV**

Over the last couple of days, I had done everything in my power to forget Emmett Cullen. I had cleaned my house from top to bottom, reorganized every single closet, cleaned the garage, and even had a Harry Potter movie marathon to keep my thoughts from straying to him. But, it was futile. I just couldn't do it. Even in my own home, his presence haunted me. I saw him everywhere.

Thursday night brought a ray of hope; I finally talked to Alice. I broke down all over again when I spoke to her. She told me everything was going to be okay and that she was sorry she couldn't be there for me when it first happened. I told her, I understood and then I let it all out…again. And she listened.

And now, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to get over Emmett right away, I knew my friends and family would be there to help me heal. And soon, I would be able to look at my couch without imagining Emmett laying on it, looking up at me with those gorgeously delicious eyes…but I guess I spoke too soon.

I was walking into the kitchen when I heard it – the unmistakable roar of Betty's engine.

_He's here. Crap! What was I going to do?_

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of some shiny sports car going way too fast.

I wanted to run and hide but my legs wouldn't move. It was as if I was glued to the floor. I hated that even after everything he did, my body still tingled with anticipation at the thought of him being near me. I heard the sound of the Hummer pulling into the driveway before the engine turned off. The sound of the door slamming broke the spell gripping my body.

_Oh Crap!_

Instantly my body reacted. My legs tingled and I got Goosebumps on my arms. I was fighting a losing battle; my heart wanted to run as far away as possible but my body just wasn't listening.

When I heard the doorbell ring my heart started pounding and my palms started sweating. I felt like a teenage girl at her first school dance. It was nerve wracking. For a second, I considered hiding and pretending that I wasn't home. But, that plan went out the window when I realized my truck was parked outside and my television was on. So, I went for the next best thing, I walked towards the door and braced myself for impact.

I opened my door and there he was. He looked just a gorgeous as ever, his worn in jeans and white t-shirt perfectly fitted to his massive physique. When I saw him, everything came crashing back. All the things he said, the way he just threw away any possibility of "us." I just wanted to scream. I was so mad at him but I knew I couldn't lose my temper. I would not make this situation any worse so I did the only mature thing I could think of. I closed the door in his face.

"Bella! Bella! Please I need to talk to you. Will you open the door? Please." _Crap! I guess I hadn't thought it all the way through._

"Nope. Not happening. I don't want to talk to you." Why couldn't he just leave? What in the hell could there possibly be to talk about?

"Bella, please. I just want a couple of minutes." He sounded so sad, I almost broke down and let him in. But, I knew I had to be strong. I would not let him break my heart all over again.

"Emmett, what part of 'I don't want to talk to you' don't you understand?" I felt kind of silly talking to Emmett through the door but I wasn't sure I wanted to be face to face with him. "Now leave. I don't want to talk to you. Get it through your head." I crossed my arms across my chest, completely forgetting that my quasi-defensive stance was useless considering Emmett couldn't see me.

"I am not leaving Bella. Not until you talk to me. I'll stand out her as long as I have to." He sounded so confident. I was a little worried. But, he certainly couldn't stand out there forever.

"Oh, I am so glad that you guys are here." After watching Emmett stand there for four hours, I figured it was time to call in reinforcements via conference call.

"_I'm here."_ There was Rosalie's voice all cool, calm, and collected. Oh, how I loved her.

"_So am I_." And there was Alice. Now we could figure out what to do about all this.

"Emmett's here." I peeked outside and saw Emmett standing there, completely immobile. Damn him and his persistence.

"_Shit! Shit! Shit! " _Of course Rosalie would start cursing before she knew what was going on. "_Did you talk to him?"_

"Nope. I shut the door and told him to leave. But, he has been standing on my front porch for the last four hours," I huffed hoping that they would know how to help me.

"_I knew it! I told you he'd come back didn't I?"_ Rosalie sounded positively smug and I couldn't help but smile at the mental image of her face as she spoke. "_How long before you let him inside?"_

"_Are you going to let him in?"_ Alice asked speaking in a tentative voice I had never heard from her since I met her.

"_Well of course, she is going to let him in. She has to." _Was I going to let him in? I wanted to talk to him but I wasn't sure I was ready for a full-fledged confrontation. But, I was getting annoyed with them talking about me.

"Will you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?" I was losing it. Having Emmett this close, this soon was completely detrimental to my emotional well-being, damn it!

"_Sorry Bells."_ They said in unison. I took another peek at Emmett and started tapping my foot on the floor. I was getting impatient and I desperately needed to make a decision.

"_So are you going to let him inside or not?"_ Rosalie asked her voice laced with curiosity.

"I don't know." I really didn't know what I should do.

"_Bells. Stop me if you think that I'm out of line but I think you should hear him out. And not just because he's my brother but because if you don't, you are always going to wonder what he would have said. Better just get it over with now so you don't have to wonder about all the 'what ifs'." _As much as I hated to admit it, Alice was right. She was always right. I just didn't want to come face to face with Emmett only to have him hurt me, even further.

"_I think Alice is right, hon. I think you need to talk to him, if only so you can get some closure."_ As I listened to Rosalie on the other line, my feet started moving towards the door on their own.

"Yeah…yeah…. I know. But, I am just not sure I'm ready for this. You guys know the effect he has on me. The pull I feel towards him is so strong, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist him. Ugh what am I saying, I don't even know why he is here. Okay, I think I'm gonna let him in and just get this over with. I'll talk to you ladies later." I hung up the phone and moved to open the door half hoping that he was no longer there. But, I guess luck wasn't on my side because there he was – just standing there.

"Fine. You can come in." I moved aside and let him come inside. He stopped in the hallway and turned to look at me with an expectant look on his face. I closed the door and turned back around to face him, preparing myself for the worst.

"Well…" I raised my hands in a questioning gesture and led him into the living room.

"Look Bella, I'm sorry about what I said. I was an idiot and I fully admit it. But, I made a huge mistake breaking things off with you. I care about you very much and I want to try and make things work between us." Emmett looked down and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. He looked sincere but I just couldn't do this again.

"You expect me, to just forgive and forget and pretend that nothing happened. How do you expect me to trust you, Emmett? You've said you wanted to make things work between us too many times for me to take you seriously. You told me that it was an act. And now you want me to believe that what you said before was lie. How can I tell when you are acting and when you are telling the truth? Don't you see Emmett, you made your own bed and now you have to lie in it." I was getting worked up and my emotions were starting to get the best of me. I really needed to calm down. I took a few calming breaths and ran my hands through my hair while Emmett moved towards me.

"Look, Bella. I know I messed up. I know it's going to be hard for you to trust me but I need to know that I have a shot – that we can get through this and make 'us' work." Emmett starting pacing around the room as he spoke. He sounded frantic and for the first time I thought that maybe, just maybe he might be sincere this time.

"But there is no 'us' anymore, Em. It's over because you wanted it to be over. You were the one that said we needed a break. You were the one that said it was a mistake for us to be together. And now you want to take it all back. You can't just do that Em." I wrapped my arms around my torso trying to hold myself together. I took another set of calming breaths and moved towards the couch so I could sit down. I could do this. I was an adult and I could do this.

"But there could be an 'us' again, right? You have to tell me that I still have a shot," he asked kneeling in front of me. His usually bright blue eyes had lost their sparkle and there were large bags under his eyes. It was clear he hadn't slept in a couple of days.

I placed my hands on his forearms and looked him straight in the eyes, "I don't know Em. I really don't know. I want to believe you, I really do. But, I just can't take the chance that you're gonna run scared the next time things get difficult. A relationship takes two, Em. You can't expect me to be in a one sided relationship. I can't be in a relationship with someone who won't open up to me."

Emmett leaned his arm across and pushed my hair back behind my ear before grazing my cheek with his finger. "I am so sorry for the way I hurt you, Bella. And believe me, if I could, I would take it all back and I would have never broken things off. But you need to know that what happened at the wedding was the truth, but more importantly, you need to know that I love you. I just didn't have the guts to tell you. You are everything to me now, and you can bet your cute little tush that I won't ever give up on us."

"I care about you too, Em. But, as much as I care about you, I also have to care about myself. And I can't set myself up to be hurt anymore." As hard as I tried I couldn't help myself from leaning in to his touch. I felt the all familiar pull of the electricity coursing through my veins but I just couldn't let myself go.

"Bella, please. You told me once to take a leap of faith and trust what we had. So, now I guess I am asking you to take that same leap a faith and trust that we can have that again only better. I'm asking you to trust me one last time. Give me one last chance. I promise I won't let you down ever again." He moved to sit next to me on the couch and took both my hands in his as he waited for my answer. He looked straight into my eyes and his penetrating stare gave me chills.

"And how do you expect me to take this leap and be able to trust you again?" I wasn't sure I could turn him down but he had hurt me and I couldn't just ignore that.

He looked happy and expectant right before he spoke; there was a smile on his face and for the briefest of seconds, his eyes shined with that sparkle unique to him. It was like the real Emmett was back. "When I was in Germany, I was miserable because I knew you weren't waiting for me back home. I was miserable because I knew I had let you go. Yet, I forced myself to put on a smile for my family because I thought I was doing the right thing. But, you know what? My brother forced me to see the light. When I told him what I had done, he made sure to tell me how much of a dumbass I was for doing it. I promise I'll tell you the entire story in painstaking detail if you would just do something for me."

"And what would that be?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Come with me to Georgia. We can take a week and drive down there. Give me a week to prove to you that I really got some sense beaten into me and that I am ready to make this work this time. Just give me one week and if after that if you still don't think that I can give this relationship one hundred percent then you can kick me to the curb…" He paused for a second, as if pondering what to say next. Then, he leaned in towards me and whispered, "But, know this, I will keep on trying. You aren't going to get rid of me, Bella. But, I do need you to give me a shot to prove to you just how special you are to me."

"I'm not sure, Em." I stood up and walked towards the hallway. I gestured for Emmett to follow me and continued walking. I had had about all I could take and I needed some time alone.

"Look Bells, if you agree, I promise I'll take care of everything. I'm leaving Sunday morning at nine from my house. That gives you three days to decide." I opened the door and held it open for him hoping he would get the message. I figured he did because he shoved his hands into his pockets once more and walked towards it. He paused at the doorframe before continuing, "I really hope I'll see you Sunday morning, Bells. I have so much more to tell you. But, I will understand if you don't show up. Alrightly then. That's all I've got to say on the subject." And with that he walked out.

"I don't know what I hope for," I whispered as I closed the door behind him.

**A/N: Again I am really sorry and I apologize for the wait. I figured you guys would prefer an update to a teaser so I just posted this. Thanks for hanging in there and I promise to try and not let it get this long before I post again. Life just seemed to keep getting in the way. But hooray for summer vacations and not having anything to do all day! I'm sure that will help improve update times.**

**Anyways… I hope you'll review and tell me what you thought and what you would like to see happen in this story.**

**Until next time,**

**Lorena**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to SM. It's her world I just play in it.**

**A/N:** I am so sorry I haven't posted in forever. But, I was real life got in the way and I got busy falling in love with my hubby all over again. Ever since he came home we've been spending every possible moment together. But, now the summer is over and its time to get back to work.

So without further ado,

Our feature presentation…

**Emmett POV**

I hated this. I hated not knowing. I was driving myself insane wondering if Bella would show up. I looked at Betty, packed and ready to go. The only thing missing was Bella. It was 8:55 and damn it, I was getting a little worried.

I quickly double-checked everything, just to give me something to do until it was time to leave. I made sure I left enough space for Bella to put her things in, but as it got closer to nine, I couldn't help but think about what would happen if she didn't show up.

By 9:30, though, I knew she wasn't coming. I knew that she wasn't the type to put up with my shit. But, damn it! I really hoped that she would give me another chance. I guess she just couldn't overlook my stupidity.

Forcing myself to process the fact that there wasn't anything I could do to make her forgive me, I reached for my phone. I don't know why I thought it would be as easy as saying 'I'm sorry' and she would just take off with me like nothing happened. I guess I could add that to the ever growing list of stupid mistakes I've made when it comes to Bella. I still had one more thing to do before I left, and I was going to make damn sure that at least my little brother had his shot.

I flipped open the phone and dialed. It only took a couple of seconds before I heard the robotic voice of the man on the other line. "Hello, my name is Richard. Will this be a business or residential listing?"

"Hello, Richard. A Residential listing for Angela Webber please," I answered hoping that at least one thing wouldn't go to shit.

"Yes, sir. Would you like me to connect you as well?"

"Yes."

While I waited for the machine to recite the number, I climbed into the car and hoped to God that at least one Cullen man might manage to fix their idiotic behavior.

* * *

**Bella POV**

I watched as the clock on the mantle struck nine. And that was it. I had been up for the last four hours going back and forth on what to do. Rationalizing and making lists had done me no good. And now, I guess time had made the decision for me.

No matter how much I cared for Emmett, I couldn't let go of what he did or the things he said. I had no guarantee that he wouldn't hurt me again, and I just couldn't go through that again. I couldn't bear to give him my heart just to have him break it all over again.

"So, I guess you didn't make it," Alice asserted as she barged into my bedroom.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" I asked lying back down and pulling the covers up around me. I felt childish but at the moment, it was the best thing I could think of.

"I thought you could use a friend." Alice moved towards the bed and lay down next to me wrapping her tiny arms around me.

"I couldn't do it, Ally. I couldn't go because I'm too scared," I said from underneath the covers, listening as my voice was muffled by the heavy comforter.

"It's okay, sweetie," Alice cooed as she pulled the comforter off my face and rubbing soothing circles on my shoulders.

"I love him, Alice. I really do, but I just don't want to get hurt again. And I am still so incredibly pissed off at him? I mean, how can I take off with him when I just want to throttle him and yell at him for what he put me through while still wanting him to kiss me and beg and grovel for my forgiveness?" I hated the fact that just looking at him made me feel better than I had since he went away. Still, despite the warmth that he brought out in me, I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me when he told me that everything he said was an act. I refused to be one of those women who took a man back after he had been a complete jackass.

Alice smiled at me, her eyes bright. "It's easy Bells, deep down you really want to be with him. And, sometimes all you can do is follow your heart and hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass."

Despite my mood I couldn't help but laugh at her comment, "Well, someone's been spending some quality time with Rose."

"What can I say; sometimes those pregnancy hormones have it right. Now, what are you going to do about numb nuts?" I could see Alice's face light up in excitement – probably hoping I would stage an elaborate race to Georgia to get him back. But, I knew better.

"There is nothing left to do, Alice. He left this morning at nine. He's gone and there is no going back. I let him go without me. As much as I wanted to be there today, I had too many reservations. I have absolutely no guarantee that he won't do this again, and I'm not sure that I can handle that," I sighed completely defeated. As much as I wanted to be with Emmett, I couldn't overlook his actions.

"So, you're just going to let him go! Even if that means being unhappy and agonizing over the what ifs'?" Alice huffed as she threw her hands up in the air before continuing, "Seriously Bella, what kind of crap is that?"

"What else am I supposed to do Alice? I can't risk everything to go running after him. And what if I do go after him and he's already changed his mind because I left him hanging?"

"Oh, Bella! You seriously need to get your head in the game. You can't just give up on this. He hasn't changed his mind. He really knows he messed up. And he's willing to pay the penance for it. But, you have to be willing to fight just as much as he is. You can't just let him go because it's the safe thing to do!" Alice was fuming, her eyes aflame and her body rigid.

"It's too late, Alice. He's probably on his way to Georgia by now. It's over," I sighed completely defeated. The moment that damn clock had struck nine my world fell apart. Too bad I didn't realize just how much he meant to me until I realized that I was the one who let him go."

"Who cares if he is already on his way to Georgia! That doesn't mean that you can't go after him. What happened to taking a walk on the wild side, to not being the 'conventional Bella' Mike said you were!" Alice was positively fuming, her eyes were ablaze and her expression set in stone.

"That is a little harsh, Alice."

"Bullshit Bells, it's the truth. By not going after him, you're playing it safe so you don't have to live up to the promises you made after that dipshit left you at the altar."

"That is not true," I bit back but even as the words left my mouth, I knew I was lying.

"Yes it is! You're just hiding so you don't have to put yourself out there! Face it, Bella – you've completely deluded yourself into thinking you've changed since Mike left. But you haven't!"

"Damn it Alice! What do you want me to say! Huh! That I'm scared? Well hell yes I'm scared! I'm mortified that I just made the biggest mistake of my life! And damn it, I'm feeling a little stupid because I didn't realize just how much I wanted him until he left; so sorry if I want my best friend to make me feel better instead of making me feel worse!"

"Well, someone had to make you see the light. Now, are you just going to lay there and wallow or are you going to get off your ass and do something about it?" Alice's expression had softened but it was still wary, she didn't know what I was going to do, and quite frankly, neither did I.

* * *

**Emmett POV**

I pulled into Bella's driveway, my mind completely focused on the mission at hand. I had one shot to do this right and I'd be damned if I was going to let her get away. I jumped out of my Hummer formulating my plan of attack as I marched towards the front door. I rang the doorbell and braced myself for battle.

As soon as Bella opened the door, I sprung into action. I wrapped my arms around her waist and slammed her body against me before lowering my head to capture her warm lips with mine. My mouth insistent against hers, demanding a reaction as I traced my tongue along her lower lip begging her to show me she wanted this just as much as I did. When she started kissing back, I reveled in the minty taste of her supple lips and lifted her up and angled my head to deepen the kiss. As our tongues twisted in a dance of passion, her legs wrapped around me and I couldn't help the guttural moan that escaped me. My body's reaction was quick and obvious. Still, we had too many things to discuss and while this was a good way to get in the door, it wasn't going to get her to leave with me.

I broke of the kiss and watched, completely mesmerized, as her eyelids fluttered open. Her warm caramel eyes registered her position and she quickly untangled herself from me as I gently set her down.

"We need to talk." I jammed my hands in my pockets while hoping Bella wouldn't throw me out of her house because of my little display. But, that kiss left very little doubt in my mind that she wanted to give us a shot, at least subconsciously.

"Wh—What are you doing here? I thought you had left?" Her face was set in a confused expression, her caramel eyes wary. It was obvious she was already questioning my motives. Her expression told me all I needed to know – my screw up ran deep.

"I couldn't leave without you?" I responded hoping that my slight questioning tone would win over some cuteness points. But, the harsh expression on her face floored me. Guess she wasn't as ready to take me back as I thought.

"Why?" she demanded, her eyebrow arched and her expression hard. I knew this was going to be an uphill battle.

"Because I couldn't leave things the way they were. I know you have doubts and I know that I really effed up, but I couldn't leave without making things right. I can't leave without knowing that you and I are going to be okay; that we are going to make this work." I let out a breath as I saw her expression soften just the slightest before she slipped on an indifferent façade. At least I was getting somewhere.

"How are we supposed to make this work, Emmett, when I don't even know when you are telling me the truth?" Her brown eyes couldn't hide the pain her face was successfully masking. While, I regretted everything that I had said to her, I should have known that it wouldn't be easy to get her to trust me again. But, I would be dammed before giving up on her.

"I am not going to deny that I lied to you, Bella. But, you have to understand that when I did it, it was because I was stupid enough to believe that it was the best thing to do." I hoped that maybe, just maybe, if she understood why I did it, she might be more willing to forgive me.

"How could you have possibly thought that Emmett? How could you possibly justify lying to me and making me believe that you lied to me when you told me that you were falling for me?" Her caramel eyes flashed with anger and her lips tightened.

_Shit!_

"I lied to you because I thought that you were better off without me, Bella. When we found out that Seth had been hurt, I started thinking about what would happen if I got hurt. I wondered how _you _would take it. And from then on, all I could think of was you worrying about me and having to deal with the fear and uncertainty that comes with being with a man like me. And I just couldn't do that to you. I figured a clean break would give you the ability to find someone who was better for you." I wrung my hands as I waited for her response. I hoped that she would be willing to understand once she let me explain.

"And what made you think that you couldn't do that to me? Or better yet, what in God's name made you think that you knew better than I did what I wanted or deserved?"

"I was just trying to do what was right, Bells. But realize what a mistake it was to think that way. I had no right to do that without giving you a choice in the matter. I swear, I know better."

"I want to believe you Emmett, but, how do I know that you are not lying to me now to, as you put it, protect me?" Her expression had softened so I knew that she wanted me to explain myself. And with that small concession, I knew that she was willing to hear me out and maybe just maybe give me the benefit of the doubt.

"I promise you, Bella, the light was practically beaten into me. I know that I was an idiotic, pigheaded jackass, and while I can't promise you that, I won't be a jackass in the future. I can promise you that I will try _with every fiber in my being_ not to hurt you for as long as you'll have me." I grabbed hold of her hands and received comfort in the fact that she didn't pulled away from me.

"How can I be sure of that, Em?" Her eyes were pleading with me to assure her. She wanted to believe me but now I had to convince her that I was being sincere.

"Because, my brother made sure to let me know the kind of hell I'd be condemned to if I let you get away because of my own moronic behavior." As the words tumbled out of my mouth, I realized, though, that I wouldn't have been alone in my despair. The extent of her reaction to what I had done let me know just how much I had hurt her.

"What do you mean?"

"Seth made the same idiotic mistake I made. He told me how he broke up with his high school girlfriend because he was afraid. He was afraid that their relationship wouldn't withstand the long separations. He told me what life was like without her; how he wrote her a letter everyday they were separated because he still cared so much about her. Seth made me realize that by pushing you away, I was basically saying that I didn't have faith in what we have. And I never ever wanted to say that."

"I don't know if there is still an 'us' to salvage here, Emmett. I mean how do I know that you are here because you want to and not because your brother made you?" Doubt sprang back up in her eyes but this time, I was ready. If I had to, I'd take a blood oath that I was for real this time.

"I'm here because I want to, Bella. Seeing my brother in that hospital bed made me see just how short life can be. And when it comes down to it, I don't want to look back on my life and not have you be a part of it."

"But what-"she started but I knew this was my moment. I knew that I was so close to her believing me that I just had to put everything out there.

"No ifs, ands or buts, Bella. Those are not allowed. I love you and I know that you care about me too. So, I am asking you, please give us another shot. Please fight with me, fight for what we both know is here between us. I know we haven't known each other for a long time, but there is one thing that I have always been certain of, and that is that we are good together. It would be a damn shame if we didn't give this bond a shot to become something long-term."

"Emmett, I want to. I really want to. But, I'm scared. I'm scared that you are just going to run off the next time you feel a misguided need to be chivalrous." Bella's eyes softened once more, as she looked to me for assurance. Her concern was genuine, and I guessed now was the perfect time to just let it all out.

"I understand your concern, I really do. But, I also know that nothing in life is ever guaranteed. I can't give you any guarantee other than I will always try my hardest to make you happy. And I can promise that I will always discuss it with you when I feel insecure about our relationship because of what I choose to do. So, I'm asking you once again to take a leap with me, to trust me and to trust in us."

"I'll think about it." She smirked at me and that is when I knew it. We were good to go. She just needed one more little nudge.

"That isn't good enough Bella. I need you to go all in with me." I was smirking right back at her, fully aware that she was stringing me along now just to torture me a little. So, I guessed I better play along for now.

"I just need a couple of minutes, Em." There was that spark of mischief in her eyes I had gone so long without seeing. It was time for phase two.

"You've had three days Bella. Just answer me this one little question."

"What?" she asked as her eyebrow rose in anticipation.

"Do you care about me, I mean, the way I care about you? Do you want to really give us a shot?"

"That is more than one question," she countered, the telltale smirk gracing her beautiful features.

"Just answer him, Bells." Alice remarked, appearing out of nowhere, a large black duffle bag roughly the size of her tiny body at her side, and her eye alight with mischief.

Bella shot her a dark look. "Yes. I do care about you, Emmett, and I do want to give us a shot," Bella muttered right before she bit her bottom lip almost as if anticipating my next move. I couldn't help myself from derailing my current train of though and imagining her deliciously full lips on mine.

"Then that settles it." I did the only thing I could do to ensure that she would come with me. I crouched down slightly and watched as Bella's face was overcome with an expression of confusion. I quickly picked her up and threw her over my shoulders relishing the way she felt against me.

"What the hell are you doing?" she squealed, her hands desperately trying to wrestle her hair away from her face.

"Making sure that you give me another shot. I'm not letting you go until you are strapped in the plane," I said with a smile on my face. Too bad she couldn't see the conspiratorial look I threw at Alice's giggling body.

"Put me down this instant Emmett!" Bella yelled as she lightly pounded on my back.

_Maybe I had misread her. Maybe I had misread her. Maybe she really wasn't ready._

"Nope not happening." I responded, trusting my instincts and relying on what I hoped was an innate ability to read people correctly.

"Emmett!" Bella yelled her warning once more and I began to doubt myself.

_Had I really been that far off the mark?_

"I thought you decided that you were going to go with me," I said hesitantly hoping that she would reaffirm my suspicion rather than completely shoot me down. However, after a few tense moments, I realized that Bella wasn't protesting or saying anything. Maybe she was thinking it over.

"Well, Emmett, I knew I was going with you the minute you appeared at my door. " I smiled at the thoughts that began forming in my mind. She had been messing with me this whole time.

_Guess she just needed a push in the right direction. But, that push had been given before I got even here._

"Take care of her for me," Alice muttered at me as she deftly maneuvered the huge duffle bag onto my free hand. How that girl managed to do it, I'll never know, but I didn't have any time to worry about it right now.

"I will," I answered as I shifted Bella's weight ever so slightly so that I could carry them both to the Hummer and be on our way.

"Alice, did you plan this?" Bella queried, her voice slightly muffled.

"Nope, I swear. This was all Emmett," Alice responded her eyes bright. It always amazed me how she always seemed to be in the right place at just the right time; but right now I couldn't really complain.

"See you later, sis," I said as I turned toward the door. Now the possibilities for my last week of leave seemed endless.

"Bye, Emmett," Alice said right before turning her attention to Bella. "And don't worry Bella, I'll make sure to tell dad that you aren't going be at work for a little while," she finished in a singsong voice. I'd have to remember to get her a very big present for the assist.

And as I walked out of Bella's house and headed towards, the Hummer I distinctly heard Alice yell, "If you hurt her again, Emmett, I won't hesitate to castrate you!" _So much for that present._

**And that is all she wrote. I would like to thank SavageWoman for her awesome beta skills. I would be so lost without her and her amazing writing. So check out her stories if you haven't already. **

**Secondly, please review and let me know what you think. It's been so long I need the feedback to let me know if I've lost my touch. Remember, reviewers, get sneak peaks. **

**And finally, I would like to thank all the reviewers. I am sorry that I haven't been able to respond to them as usual. But, your support and encouragement really has meant the world to me. Thanks for that.**

**Until next time,**

**Lorena**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's SM's world, I just play in it.**

**A/N: So sorry it took so long to get this out. There really is no excuse just an explanation. But the point is that I am back and I am back for good. I hope this chapter makes up for the long absence.**

**P.S - This chapter is dedicated to Savage_Woman, my wonderful beta and right hand woman, and Javamomma0921, who gave me the final shove needed to get this chapter done.**

**Bella POV**

The plane ride had been a freaking nightmare. Our entire trip had been plagued by ruthless turbulence that shook the plane to no end, but Emmett's protective embrace had made the trip, not only bearable, but also somewhat enjoyable. Still, after that flight, all I wanted was to curl up in his arms and doze off.

"We're here." Emmett's voice broke through my mental fog, "Welcome to the Holiday Inn, Princess."

I absentmindedly rubbed at my eyes, focusing on the image in front of me. We pulled into the well-lit parking lot of the four-story hotel. The starkness of the white and cream stucco set against the night sky was imposing, but the warm brick of the first level eased the harshness. The windows and shutters of each of the rooms were flat against the exterior walls, lending to the minimalistic style of the structure.

Emmett parked the rental and gave my hand a squeeze before he got out. He quickly made his way over to my side, and a blast of warm humid air hit me in the face when the door opened. As soon as I stepped out of the car, Emmett retrieved our bags and led me to the double sliding door at the entrance of the hotel. When the doors opened, a blast of cool air blew my hair back from my face, a refreshing change from the mugginess of the outside world.

Decorated in warm neutral tones, the lobby was sophisticated yet relaxing. Emmett piled our bags onto a trolley cart before gently leading us to the reception desk. A pretty redhead smiled at us as we approached but the way she raked her eyes over Emmett's body immediately put me on the alert.

"Good evening and welcome to the Holiday Inn. How may I help you?" Her saccharine voice cut through the deafening silence of the lobby as her eyes practically undressed him right where he stood. Emmett eyed her warily before pulling me into his side. _Hah! Take that!_

"Hello, I have a reservation under Cullen." I nuzzled myself into his embrace as he spoke, his deep voice lulling me.

"Oh, Yes. One non-smoking suite with twin beds for a week long stay." A smug look spread across the receptionist's face as she continued to devour him with her eyes, "If there is anything _you _or your sister need, please don't hesitate to let me know."

_Bella, you can't let her get away with that. She's hitting on your boyfriend right in front of you. Come on now; show some of that newfound assertiveness._ Jealousy prickled at me for the first time in my adult life, and an overwhelming need to put this woman in her place took over. So, I gave in and just let her have it.

"Oh, he's not my brother. He's my _boyfriend. "_I snuggled closer to Emmett as I spoke and, _thank God he caught on_, he placed his hand securely around my waist, "And we won't need twin beds. That must have been a mistake. Trust me; one bed is all we need."

My heart hammered in my chest. It was the first time I'd ever done something like that, and it felt surprisingly good. I could never have done something like that with Mike. Any sort of display and he would make a snide comment about how unlady-like I was acting. I ventured a look into Emmett's face and almost burst out laughing at the glazed look on his face. Clearly, his mind was going to his happy place.

By the time I came down from my assertive Bella high, I noticed the receptionist slip the sleeve containing our room keys to Emmett. Emmett took it before mumbling a short thank you and gently led us away.

"No problem. We hope you enjoy you stay here at the Holiday Inn," she said before giving Emmett a wink with her smile.

* * *

When Emmett opened the door to the room, I sighed at the simplistic beauty of the accommodations. The room was decorated similarly to the lobby. The walls were a warm beige but the dark green signature accent wall really made the room pop. . The front room of the suite held a small living room and kitchenette. But what really caught my eye were the en suite room accommodations. The receptionist had apparently upgraded us to a room with one large plushy bed. _Nice going Bella, guess that display paid off, huh. _The queen-sized bed had a Dark, rich wooden headboard and was covered in a signature white comforter. The crowning jewel, however, was the large whirlpool sized tub complete with jets and mirror next to the bed.

Almost as if he could sense where my mind was going, Emmett stepped in to the room. "If you want, I can sleep on the pull out sofa." He rubbed circles on my shoulders as he spoke, hoping to break the tension in the room. He knew I hadn't shared a bed with a man before, and he was just trying to make me comfortable. Still, I had never wanted a man the way I wanted Emmett Cullen, and the fact that I loved him, just made the thought even more appealing.

"No, it's fine. I have no problem sharing a bed with you, Em Bear. I trust you." I leaned into him, my body tingling with the anticipation of sleeping next to him for the night.

"Ok, then. Let's get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. And you need your rest," he whispered into my ear as he stroked my hair, the sensation sending shivers through my body.

"Ok, just let me get changed. I think my pajamas are in my carry-on. Would you mind getting them for me?" I asked, hoping to clear my head. It amazed me how his mere presence intoxicated me.

_Calm yourself, Bella. You're letting your hormones take control. You've only been back together for a da,y and you're already falling all over yourself._

"Sure." He released his hold on me before turning and walking out into the adjoining living room.

* * *

**Emmett POV**

I was officially the luckiest SOB on the planet. Damn straight. Bella's face was the first thing I saw this morning, and the first feeling I registered was the feel of her warm body against mine. I could die a very happy man, indeed. I had watched her sleep, smiling at her quirky little nuances like the fact that she talked in her sleep and the way she hogged the bed covers. It was amazing.

As she laid here, her body curled into mine with her hand splayed across my chest, the world faded away. It was as if we were in our own private love bubble. I tentatively ran my finger down her cheek, my eyes memorizing her features. She was beyond beautiful, and I drank in her features, committing them to memory to tide myself over when she would no longer be beside me.

We had a lot of shit to get through today, and emotions were not my strongest suit, but she made me want to get everything out. She made me want to make myself vulnerable, if only for just a few moments. _Shit, I needed to shoot something._

"Mmhmm, Em. That feels so good." Her sleepy whisper brought me and my anatomy back to reality. A smirk crept up my face as I thought of all the possible scenarios in which those words would fall from her plump lips.

I brought my hand from her waist to trace the outline of her face as she shifted so she was face up on the bed. I watched as her eyes fluttered open and couldn't help but feel like a pussy. Relationships and I were usually exactly like light beer – generic, flavorless, and unsatisfying. But Bella made everything different. She was the exception to my every rule. The woman I never even knew I was looking for.

"How long have you been staring ,Em bear?" she asked, her eyes still closed but a smile gracing her delectable lips.

"Long enough to know you talk in your sleep." I smiled as I flipped through everything she had said.

"Shit." her eyes flew open before she raised herself off the bed and turned to look at me, her eyes sparkling with embarrassment.

"No need to be embarrassed, buttercup. It was extremely informative to know what you really think."

"What did I say?" she asked, her cheeks aflame with that hot as hell blush that seemed to spread across her entire body.

"Not a lot. You kept saying my name, though. Guess that means I'm pretty special, huh?"

"I'm not answering that. No need to inflate your ego. But seriously, I didn't say anything too bad, did I?"

"I don't think so. Now come on. We have a lot to get through today." I slid my legs off the bed and moved toward the bathroom. We had a long talk ahead of us, and I need some chow before I was anywhere near the mental capacity to talk about the inner workings of my emotions.

* * *

I wrapped an arm around Bella's waist as we walked through the park. We needed to find somewhere quiet to talk. How I wished that our previous conversation had been enough for us to just forget this whole mess; but I knew better. I could do better. My free hand tightened on the blanket I was holding as I regained control over my breathing.

I gently led Bella to a nearby tree that would provide both shade and privacy as I got a hold of myself. I laid out the blanket as I concentrated on my heartbeat and forced my breaths to match it. I steadied myself: my breathing controlled, my hands steady, and my heartbeat slow and even. _Perfection_. Time to move in for the kill.

"Come here." I sat on the blanket before pulling her down and against me. I snaked my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me before I pulled the trigger. She leaned her head against me and let out a contented sigh as the rays of the sun washed over her.

"I know you still have doubts about coming here with me but haven't really had time to deal with them. So, I thought, now that we were here, I could alleviate them for you. I want to tell you everything, my entire reasoning behind the epic shit storm that was my stupidity."

"This should be interesting," Bella quipped, but still, she settled further into me and reclined, making herself more comfortable.

"I've been in ten years. In those ten years, I've watched more marriages fall apart than I care to count. Guys get hurt, it's a fact we live with every day. We're gone a lot, another fact. We miss a lot of things. I've missed birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and every pretty much every damn special occasion in the book. And I can't change that," I huffed, my arms tightening around Bella's waist, willing her to understand.

"I know that, Em. I know that you might not always be there. I knew that before this whole thing between us started. What hurt most was that you wouldn't let me decide if it was something I wanted. Something that I was willing to accept as a condition of us being together." Bella placed her hands over mine and squeezed, her actions letting me know that, despite her anger, she still cared.

"I understand your anger, and I know I screwed up. But in my experience, when it comes down to it, most women just don't want to deal with absentee husbands, or even worse, a husband who willingly risks his life on a daily basis. They don't want the constant worry and the long separations. And part of me thinks they shouldn't have to."

"I understand that, Em bear. I do; but I would like to think that I am not most women, especially to you. At the same time, doesn't everyone deserve a chance to have the kind of love that completes a soul? Every man and woman who chooses to do what you do, who chooses public service, sacrifices so much. They shouldn't have to sacrifice that too." Her voice was wavering and slightly pleading, the melody of her inflections washing over me.

"I wish it was as easy as saying that they shouldn't sacrifice love too, Bells. But, there is only so much a person can take. Everyone has a breaking point, and it isn't just spouses who suffer. Everyone we care suffers because of our decision," I trailed of, willing myself to share. To share the moment when I realized the true extent of what my choice cost my family.

"What happened?" Almost as if she could read my mind, she tightened her hold on me, turned her head, and placed a kiss on my chest.

"When I first left, Alice and my mom were devastated. Mom couldn't understand why I wanted to do it. It wasn't like I needed the money for college or the money in general," I said, shaking my head. "But, they let me go." I paused to gather my thoughts.

I released the air in my lungs before plunging ahead. "The night before I shipped off to basic, Alice was devastated beyond anything I had ever seen. She wouldn't let go. So I knelt down in front of her, and I made her a promise. I promised that if she ever needed me, I'd be there for her." An image of Alice's stricken face passed through my mind. As always, the memory carried it's fair share of guilt.

"I broke my promise exactly three weeks later when she broke her hand falling out of a tree." I hugged Bella tighter to me and buried my nose in her hair, inhaling.

Pulling back, I cupped her cheek and turned to her face to look at me. She needed to understand this next part. "See I'd made that same promise to the United States Government, and I was forced to learn you can't make that promise twice, and mine had already been made."

"Still, you wouldn't change it for the world, would you?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, just resigned. And fleetingly, I wondered if those words would ever fall from her mouth with venom or in spite.

"Not a chance in hell. I tell you this, not because I want a pity party, because believe me, few things make me happier than what I do on a daily basis. I'm telling you because I want you to understand the reality to what it means to love me and having me love you in return. I know it won't be easy."

"I know that. I accept that. I always have. But, what happened with Alice in your story?" The _and with the rest of your family?_ went unspoken but still heard.

"As time went on, Alice forgave me; and after Seth, she even began to understand why I chose to live this life. Hell, even my parents have come to understand. But, understanding or not, it doesn't change the fact that my life can be a burden to Alice and my family."

"My mother worries constantly, but I can't be there to ease her suffering; it's my dad that has to pick up the pieces. Alice loves me, but she's had to live her life without me there. My mom almost never sees me and has to deal with the fact that both her sons risk their lives on a daily basis especially when Seth chose to become a combat engineer. My dad loves us too but still wonders how we ended up so different from him."

"And Seth, he and I? We get it; we get each other. And we're probably closest to each other despite the huge age gap." I couldn't help the smile on my face as I thought about my brother. Not everything was bad.

"Wow. That was surprisingly insightful. I understand, somewhat, why you did what you did. You didn't want that for me, that half relationship." I leaned forward, my head resting against her. She smelled wonderful, like fresh rain with just a hint of citrus. And underneath, that distinct, captivating scent that was all Bella.

"In a nutshell. Thank you, Bells. For everything. I know it wasn't easy for you to take this leap, and I just wanted to you to know that I appreciate you coming with me. I appreciate you loving me. I appreciate you willing to put up with who I am."

"It wasn't much of a choice, Em. Your mind was pretty much made up when you came to my door. And my heart had decided the moment you asked." She turned her head slightly and looked up at me. "It was my head that just couldn't reconcile everything fast enough. And by the time everything finally clicked, all I was thinking about was the road we were on."

"The road we were on?" I asked, a little freaking confused by her wacked out metaphor and the way her body was wiggling against mine.

"You know, sometimes we just start on a path that we can't ever turn back from. Sometimes we make a decision that we just can't undone. That's you for me, Em. Once we made the decision to start this thing, there was no turning back."

"You know that kind of makes sense, and you're right. There is no way I can go back to my life without knowing you'll be there too. But enough of this heavy stuff, let's have some fun." I wagged my eyebrows suggestively hoping I could make her laugh.

She giggled before asking, "What did you have in mind?" Her eyes wide with curiosity and the echo of her giggles still lingered in the air.

"Easy. Let's take a walk by the stream and maybe find a secluded tree."

"You're incorrigible. You know that, right?" And when she smiled and her entire face lit up with excitement, I couldn't help but remind myself that I was the luckiest SOB on the planet.

Bella pulled away from me, and my body immediately responded to the loss. She stood up, dusted herself off, and graciously extended her hand out to me. I grabbed her hand before pulling myself up and lacing our fingers together.

"Come on, big boy, my legs could use a stretch, and my butt could use the rest," she said before standing on her tiptoes and brushing her lips against mine, a gentle peck that lit my body on fire. Who knows, maybe I could convince her to find a secluded tree.

And that was that. I pulled her along, our hand entwined and our bodies just inches apart. I wanted us to get to know each other better. From the beginning, we'd been drawn to each other like moths to a flame. I knew, without a doubt, that I loved her, but I was leaving soon. That would be our time to build a foundation. I wanted to know what made her tick and what made her the woman that dominated my very first and last thought of each day.

**Thanks for reading. I hope you review. Reviews get you virtual cookies, the Cullen man of your choice, and a teaser into the next chapter. **

**XOXO**

**Lorena  
**


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